Nucleation and growth of bismuth thin films onto fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated conducting glass substrates from nitrate solutions

The nucleation mechanism during electrodeposition process of bismuth (Bi) thin films from nitrate solutions of various concentrations was studied by utilizing the electrochemical techniques (cyclic voltammetry [CV] and chronoamperometry [CA]). Triethanolamine (TEA) was used as a complexing agent. The nucleation mechanism at various solution concentrations and at different applied potentials was examined by fitting the chronoamperometric data into the Scharifker–Hills nucleation model. The Bi films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique for structural studies.