Structural and morphological characteristics of nanocrystalline palladium deposits prepared from ammonia complex by electrodeposition technique

ABSTRACT The present work is focused on the eco-friendly electrodeposition of nanocrystalline palladium on the copper substrate using an ammonia complex for the replacement of gold. The detailed study on the electrodeposition of palladium prepared from ammonia complex and solution characteristics such as current efficiency and thickness of the film growth per hour was evaluated using Faraday’s law of electrolysis, and the quality of the deposits was observed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The crystal structure orientation of the crystal and lattice parameters were analysed by X-ray diffraction and crystal sizes were calculated using the Debye–Scherrer equation. The deposits produced from gelatin-containing electrolyte showed the lowest crystal size which indicates that grain refinement was assisted by additives. The microstructures of the palladium deposits were determined by FESEM and the surface morphology of the palladium deposits was evaluated using AFM. The elemental composition and oxidation state of the palladium deposits were investigated by XPS. These results revealed the presence of additives giving smooth uniform homogenous surface morphology. Hence, gelatin served as a grain modifier.