In Situ Ellipsometric Study of PEG/Cl- Coadsorption on Cu, Ag, and Au

Published

May 1, 2005

Author(s)

Marlon L. Walker, Lee J. Richter, Thomas P. Moffat

Abstract

Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to examine the adsorption of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Cl- on polycrystalline Cu, Ag and Au electrodes in sulfuric acid. In halide-free sulfuric acid, PEG adsorption on Cu and Ag is minimal at potentials positive of the estimated potential of zero charge (pzc). PEG adsorption on Au was also negligible in halide-free environments positive of the pzc, but slight adsorption was evident near the pzc. In contrast, in the presence of adsorbed halide, PEG co-adsorption is clearly evident at potentials near or positive of the pzc for all metal samples studied. The PEG/Cl- co adsorbed film does not provide a significant barrier to outer-sphere electron transfer reactions (i.e. Ru3+/2+(NH3)6) although inner-sphere reactions associated with electrodeposition of copper are effectively inhibited. The relevance of these observations to the role of cuprous ions in the PEG-induced inhibition of Cu electrodeposition is discussed.

Citation

Journal of the Electrochemical Society

Volume

152

Issue

No. 6

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

blocking layer, C1, chloride ion, Cu Electrodeposition, inhibition, PEG adsorption, polyethylene glycol, potential control, spectroscopic ellipsomety

Citation

Walker, M. , Richter, L. and Moffat, T. (2005), In Situ Ellipsometric Study of PEG/Cl^- Coadsorption on Cu, Ag, and Au, Journal of the Electrochemical Society (Accessed April 19, 2024)