Inhibition of Galvanostatic Nucleation of Zinc from a Zincate Solution by Cations of the Polymeric Tetraalkylammonium Salt

摘要

Galvanostatic formation of zinc nuclei on an isotropic pyrolitic carbon electrode from a pure zincate solution and a solution containing an additive of the polymeric tetraalkilammonium salt (TAS) was studied. The process was analyzed taking into account an influence of hydrophobic and hydrophilic parts (zones A and B, respectively) of an electrode surface on the charge transfer and crystallization stages. Due to a specific behavior of TAS adsorption on the surface of zones A and B, the nucleation process occurs in two steps. During the first period a few number of nuclei (N～10~5 cm~(-2)) are formed on sites of zones B which are not "occupied" by TAS molecules. Under conditions of the constant current density and inhibition of nuclei growth it causes an increase of supersaturation and secondary nucleation on sites "occupied" by TAS of the electrode and formation of a large number of nuclei (N～10~8 cm~(-2)).