Electrochemical nucleation of lead and copper on indium-tin oxide electrodes

The nucleation process of Pb and Cu onto indium-tin oxide electrodes was studied by single potentiostatic steps using 0.1×10^–4 mol L^–1 Cu(NO₃)₂ and 2×10^–2 mol L^–1 Pb(NO₃)₂ solutions in aqueous 1.0 mol L^–1 NaNO₃. The current, I_max, and the time, t_max, corresponding to the maximum, were evaluated by 3D nucleation with a diffusion-controlled growth model for instantaneous and progressive nucleation. The non-dimensional plots of (I/I_max)² vs. t/t_max showed that Cu and Pb nucleation closely followed the response predicted for instantaneous nucleation. Other parameters, such as I vs. t^1/2 and I²_maxt_max, as well as nuclei micrographs, were analyzed, corroborating the results obtained.