Engineering texture and twins of Cu foils preparing by pulse electrodeposition and their properties

The controllable microstructure and the overall performance improvement of electrodeposited nano twinned Cu (nt-Cu) foil are crucial for the sustainable development of high energy density batteries and microelectronics technology. Although pulse electrodeposition (PED) and additives have been widely used in controlling nt-Cu foil, there is still a lack of research on the controllable microstructure of nt-Cu foil and its microstructure depended properties. In this study, nt-Cu foils with different orientations were prepared by adjusting the T_off time and additives during the PED process. The effects of these parameters on the microstructure and comprehensive properties of the nt-Cu foil were studied. The T_off time and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-3-mercapto-1-propanesulfonate sodium salt (MPS)-(chloride ions)Cl⁻ (PEG-MPS-Cl⁻) additive changed the kinetic parameters of the electrochemical reaction and ultimately affected the reduction rate of Cu²⁺ and the overpotential of the deposition process. This modulation effectively regulated the nucleation and growth behavior of Cu atoms, thereby reducing the surface roughness of the nt-Cu foil, refining the grains, and forming nano-twins with different orientations. Due to the combined strengthening effect of grain refinement, dislocation, and texture orientation, (111) oriented nt-Cu foil demonstrated remarkable mechanical and frictional wear properties, whereas (220) oriented nt-Cu foil exhibited superior conductivity and corrosion resistance. These findings may offer promising prospects for the controllable design of engineering textures and nano-twin structures of high-performance nt-Cu foil by electrodeposition.