Electrochemical deposition of niobium on vitreous carbon and silicon carbide fibres in fused alkali chlorides

The electrodeposition of metallic niobium on the surface of a carbon electrode in fused electrolytes is studied by transient techniques. The initial step of the process involves the formation of a thin layer of carbide. The growth of this layer is controlled by niobium-carbon interdiffusion. The transport process is shown to be more rapid in the initial atomic layers. This technique was used to examine niobium deposition on silicon carbide fibres coated with amorphous carbon.