Lidija D. Rafailović

Study of the Dendritic Growth of Ni–Co Alloys Electrodeposited on Cu Substrates

Ni–Co alloy deposits and their parent metals were formed on Cu substrates by electrolysis under different current densities applied in the galvanostatic regime. A quantitative scanning electron microscopy technique was employed to study the morphology and surface roughness of the obtained deposits. The structure of the deposits is governed by the nature of depositing ions and quantity of evolved hydrogen. The cauliflower morphology and the highest mean surface roughness values are the results of electrodeposition from the Ni containing bath. The structure of the Co deposits formed under the same conditions and determined by the formation of the hexagonal close-packed phase results in a more uniform grain size distribution and formation of smoother platelet deposits. The mean surface values of the parent metals are independent of the current density. The dendritic growth is a special case of a structure formed only in the Ni–Co alloy deposition at selected, high current densities of 220 and 400 mA cm �2 . The dendrites obtained at a higher current density of 400 mA cm �2 have shown more developed structures with smaller dendrites that

Functionalizing Aluminum Oxide by Ag Dendrite Deposition at the Anode during Simultaneous Electrochemical Oxidation of Al

A novel synthesis strategy is presented for depositing metallic Ag at the anode during simultaneous electrochemical oxidation of Al. This unexpected result is achieved based on galvanic coupling. Metallic dendritic nanostructures well-anchored in a high surface area supporting matrix are envisioned to open up a new avenue of applications.

Surface enhanced Raman scattering of dendritic Ag nanostructures grown with anodic aluminium oxide

We present the application of newly developed Ag nanodendrites (Ag-ND) grown together with anodic aluminium oxide for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The Ag-ND yield very pronounced SERS using a self-assembled monolayer (SAM). This is confirmed by simulations showing hot spots in the electromagnetic field at the surfaces of the Ag-ND. SERS measurements reusing Ag-ND demonstrate its long-term stability even after one year.