Electrodeposited copper oxide films: Effect of bath pH on grain orientation and orientation-dependent interfacial behavior

Copper (1) oxide (Cu2O) films were cathodically electrodeposited on Sn-doped indium oxide substrates. The influence of electrodeposition bath pH on grain orientation and crystallite shape was carefully re-examined using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. In addition to the (100) and (I 11) preferred orientations identified in two previous sets of studies, as the bath pH was varied in the present study from similar to 7.5 to similar to 12, a third preferred orientation, (I 10), was identified in a narrow pH range, similar to 9.4 to similar to 9.9. A remarkable shift in the flat-band potential (spanning similar to 500 mV) was measured in a non-aqueous electrolyte medium for the various Cu2O samples obtained from baths of varying pH. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.