COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE POLARIZATION AND MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ELECTROCHEMICALLY PRODUCED POWDER FORMS OF THE INTERMEDIATE METALS

The polarization and morphological characteristics of powder forms of the group of intermediate metals were examined through the analysis of silver and copper electrodeposition processes at high overpotentials. Pine-like dendrites constructed from corn cob-like forms, which are strikingly similar, were obtained via electrodeposition of these metals at the overpotential corresponding to the plateaus of the limiting diffusion current density. A contrasting situation was observed with silver and copper electrodeposition when performed at overpotentials outside these plateaus in regions with a rapid increase in current density. Silver dendrites akin to those obtained inside the plateaus were also produced at overpotentials outside the plateau. The hydrogen evolution during copper electrodeposition, attributed to a lower overpotential, significantly impacted the surface morphology of the copper deposits. Similar polarization curves showed distinctive surface morphologies for Cu and Ag electrodeposited at overpotentials post-inflection, underscoring the essential role of morphological analysis in understanding the polarization characteristics of these systems. Furthermore, the study delved into the remarkable transition of copper surface morphology from dendritic to honeycomb-like structures, emphasizing the importance of hydrogen in these changes. The distinct powder forms characterizing the electrodeposition of intermediate metals were systematically defined.