Enhancing electrodeposition of tin powder from deep eutectic solvent with additives: A path to advanced functional materials.

Abstract

Many technologies including microelectronics, batteries, and corrosion-resistant coatings depend on electroplated tin films. This study systematically examines the effect of several additives on the electrodeposition of tin onto copper substrates from an iodine containing ethaline solution. Cyclic voltammetry was used to investigate electrochemical behavior, while SEM/EDX was employed to characterize the surface morphology and composition. Tin coatings deposited with hydantoin as an additive exhibited superior surface smoothness, morphological uniformity, and purity 96 % compared to those produced with other additives. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the crystalline structure of the tin coatings was significantly influenced by the choice of additive in the plating bath. Based on Tafel extrapolation, coating modified with nicotinic acid demonstrated a notably lower corrosion current density (Jcorr = 115 μA/cm²), suggesting that, although thermodynamically prone to corrosion, the additive inhibits the dissolution process through the formation of a protective surface layer.