Electrodeposition of silver thin films with shiny appearances from an electrolyte comprising silver ferrocyanide–thiocyanate and antimony potassium tartrate

We have investigated the effect of antimony potassium tartrate on the surface appearances of silver thin films electrodeposited from a silver ferrocyanide–thiocyanate electrolyte. Phase diagrams of appearance stability in silver electrodeposition indicate that the silver ferrocyanide–thiocyanate electrolyte including antimony potassium tartrate yields silver electrodeposits with shiny appearances within a narrow region of the cathode potential. The surface roughness of the electrodeposits measured with Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy reveals that the shiny appearance corresponds to two-dimensional growth that results in a smooth surface and the black appearance does to three-dimensional growth characterized by vertical growth. Cyclic voltammetry curves exhibit that the shiny appearances can be related to a rapid increase in the current density at the narrow region of the cathode potential.