Growth Mechanism and Application of Nanostructures Fabricated by a Copper Sulfate Solution Containing Boric Acid

In this research, a nanostructured copper surface was fabricated using a CuSO4 center dot 5H(2)O solution containing boric acid. Cu and Cu2O structures simultaneously formed when the electrodeposition was performed using the CuSO4 center dot 5H(2)O solution. The Cu deposition ratio increased when the concentration of CuSO4 center dot 5H(2)O decreased or the applied current density increased. In contrast, the Cu2O deposition ratio increased when the concentration of CuSO4 center dot 5H(2)O increased or the applied current density decreased. A nanoplate-type Cu structure or octahedral Cu2O structure formed when boric acid was added to the CuSO4 center dot 5H(2)O solution. When the concentration of the added boric acid was 2.0 M and the applied current density was above 70 mA/cm(2), high-density nanoplates or dendrite structures were formed. In addition, the fabricated samples showed superhydrophobic properties under these conditions after hydrophobic layer coating. The proposed copper electrodeposition methods can be applied to various industrial fields that require metal nanostructures. (C) 2016 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.