Electrochemical deposition of thin metallic layers and alloys under the influence of uniform magnetic fields

Electrodeposition of functional metallic layers and magnetic alloys in the nanoscale range are of world wide increasing interest for industrial application. The method of electrodeposition is very cost efficient and a fast way to grow ultrathin films on large area substrates and in microstructures. Despite these advantages, it is not widely used in the preparation of functional thin films and film systems. One reason is that the electrochemically grown layers and layer systems achieve not the physical and electrical properties of systems prepared by physical methods, which is mainly attributed to differences in the microstructure. The deposition in applied magnetic field changes the deposition behaviour and structure of the layers mainly due to different convective effects and offers new possibilities to improve the properties of the deposits. This topic is related to other projects of the IFW (Link to Heike Schlörb, S. Fähler) and the SFB 609 (Elektromagnetische Strömungsbeeinflussung in Metallurgie, Kristallzüchtung und Elektrochemie.

Recent investigations are:

Magnetoelectrodeposition of magnetic layers, multilayers and alloys

Effect of magnetic field on pH and hydrogen evolution reaction at the electrode surface

Effect of magnetic fields on structure and phase formation

Grain nucleation and growth by ECSTM

Electrodeposition of structured metal layers in magnetic gradient fields

Electrodeposition of metals and alloys in alumina templates

Characterization of Convective Phenomena