Initial stages of the electrocrystallization of copper from non-cyanide alkaline bath containing glycine

An electrochemical study on the initial stages of copper electrodeposition onto nickel substrate from non-cyanide alkaline bath containing glycine as complexing agent is presented in this work. The studied parameters were copper concentration, glycine concentration, and deposition potential. Upon scanning in the negative direction, one cathodic peak was observed, which is associated to copper electrodeposition from CuL2 complex at pH 10.0 (where L− is the anion form of glycine). Analysis of the chronoamperograms indicates time-dependent nucleation mechanisms. A progressive nucleation mechanism without overlap of diffusion zones, which involved an electron transfer reaction (at short times) and a progressive nucleation mechanism with overlap of diffusion zones (at long times). Non-linear fitting methods were applied to obtain the growth and nucleation kinetic parameters from theoretical equations proposed to describe this system.