Hydrogen Peroxide Oxygen Precursor for Zinc Oxide Electrodeposition I. Deposition in Perchlorate Medium

Catfehodic electrodeposition of zinc oxide is demonstrated using dissolved hydrogen peroxide as the oxygen precursor. Unlike molecular oxygen, is a very soluble compound in water and can consequently be used at high concentrations allowing high deposition rates. Unlike nitrate ions, the reduction reaction does not give rise to by-products, which may progressively contaminate the deposition bath. ZnO films have been deposited at 70°C and −1.4 V vs. a saturated sulfate mercurous electrode onto tin oxide over a large range of peroxide concentration with perchlorate as the supporting electrolyte. The films are well covered and crystallized with the wurtzite structure and textured with the c axis perpendicular to the electrode surface. A transition between dense films and porous films is observed at the higher concentration investigated. At 40 mM the porosity of the films deposited in the presence of 80 mM zinc perchlorate is estimated at 33% with deposition rate of ca. 16 μm h −1 . © 2001 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.