In-Situ Stm Studies on the Electrodeposition of Ultrathin Nickel Films

Abstract

ABSTRACTAn in-situ STM study of the initial stages of Ni electrodeposition on Au and Cu single-crystals is presented. On reconstructed Au(111) a complex, potential-dependent nucleation and growth process is found, involving selective Ni island formation at specific surface sites and growth of two types (compact and needle-like) of Ni monolayer islands. At higher coverages (1 ML ≤ θ ≤ 5 ML) an almost perfect layer-by-layer growth of a metallic Ni(111)-film was observed. Considerably rougher films were found on Au(100) and Cu(100).