Study of the electrodeposition of rhenium thin films by electrochemical quartz microbalance and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 483; no. 1; pp. 50 - 59
• Main Authors: Schrebler, R., Cury, P., Suárez, C., Muñoz, E., Vera, F., Córdova, R., Gómez, H., Ramos-Barrado, J.R., Leinen, D., Dalchiele, E.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 01-07-2005; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adsorbed layers and thin films; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Electrochemical quartz microbalance; Electrodeposition; Electrodeposition, electroplating; Electron and ion emission by liquids and solids; impact phenomena; Exact sciences and technology; Materials science; Methods of deposition of films and coatings; film growth and epitaxy; Photoemission and photoelectron spectra; Physics; Rhenium; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Electrodeposition; Rhenium; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Electrochemical quartz microbalance; Inorganic compounds; Films; Voltammetry; Experimental study; Aqueous solutions; Transition elements; Crystal growth from solutions; Chemical composition; X-ray photoelectron spectra
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2004.12.061

Rhenium thin films were prepared by electrodeposition from an aqueous solution containing 0.1 M Na
2SO
4+H
2SO
4, pH 2 in presence of
y mM HReO
4. As substrates polycrystalline gold (
y=0.75 mM HReO
4) and monocrystalline n-Si(100) (
y=40 mM HReO
4) were used. The electrochemical growth of rhenium was studied by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz microbalance on gold electrodes. The results found in the potential region before the hydrogen evolution reaction (her) showed that ReO
3, ReO
2 and Re
2O
3 with different hydration grades can be formed. In the potential region where the her is occurring, either on gold or n-Si(100) the electrodeposition of metallic rhenium takes place. On both substrates, rhenium films were formed by electrolysis at constant potential and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique was used to characterise these deposits. It was concluded that the electrodeposited films were of metallic rhenium and only the uppermost atomic layer contained rhenium oxide species.