Morphology and Structure of Electrolytically Synthesized Tin Dendritic Nanostructures

Abstract

The formation of tin dendritic nanostructures by electrolysis from the alkaline electrolyte has been investigated. Morphology and structure of Sn dendrites produced applying both potentiostatic and galvanostatic regimes of the electrolysis are characterized by SEM and XRD, respectively. Depending on the applied cathodic potentials, three types of Sn dendrites were obtained: (a) needle-like and spear-like, (b) fern-like, and (c) stem-like dendrites. The very branchy dendrites with branches of the prismatic shape obtained by the galvanostatic regime of electrolysis represented a novel type of Sn dendrites, not previously reported in the literature. To explain the formation of various dendritic forms, correlation with the polarization characteristics for this electrodeposition system is considered. The needle-like and the spear-like dendrites represented monocrystals of (200),(400) preferred orientation, the fern-like dendrites exhibited the predominant (220),(440) preferred orientation, while in the stem-like particles Sn crystallites were oriented to a greater extent in the (440) crystal plane than in other planes. The galvanostatically synthesized Sn particles possessed the strong (200),(400) preferred orientation. The strong influence of parameters and regimes of electrodeposition on structural characteristics of Sn dendrites is explained by the fundamental laws of electrocrystallization taking into consideration the concept of slow-growing and fast-growing crystal planes.

Analysis of the Particle Size and Morphology of Tin Powder Synthesized by the Electrolytic Method

“…An alternative route for producing tin powder is the electrolysis method . This method has several advantages: it can produce nanopowder particles, requires relatively simple equipment, and produces high-purity powder. , In contrast to the atomization method, there is no risk of lead fume emissions since this technique does not use a lead-bearing molten tin ingot for producing tin powder.…”

“…It was reported that the tin powder deposits obtained under the entire specified overpotential variations were dendritic in morphologies. Nikolic et al (2022), 6 reported that the morphology and structure of Sn dendrites produced by applying both potentiostatic and galvanostatic regimes of the electrolysis in the alkaline hydroxide electrolyte depended on the applied cathodic potential, the current density, and the polarization characteristic during the electrolysis. Three types of Sn dendrites were obtained depending on the applied cathodic overpotential, namely needle-like, fern-like, and stem-like dendrites.…”

“…Three types of Sn dendrites were obtained depending on the applied cathodic overpotential, namely needle-like, fern-like, and stem-like dendrites. 6 Saito et al (2012) 14 demonstrated the synthesis of tin nanoparticles (Sn-NPs) via electrolysis using potassium carbonate (K 2 CO 3 ) solution. The Sn-NPs obtained in this study were reported to contain colloidal SnO 2 particles.…”

“…One of the electrolysis method’s drawbacks is the difficulty of generating a powder with spherical morphology. The electrolysis process can be carried out using either a constant current source or a pulse current . The principle difference between these methods is the current output from the power source utilized for the electrodeposition.…”

A Novel Two-Step Electrochemical Deposition Method for Sn-Pd Electrocatalyst Synthesis for a Potential Application in Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells

“…The morphologies of metal or alloy deposits can be easily regulated by the choice of parameters and regimes of the electrodeposition [31,34]. In our previous work, it was shown that Sn's morphology and structure depends on the electrolysis conditions, which can produce Sn dendrites of various shapes and degrees of ramification [35]. In addition, all types of Sn dendritic particles had nanostructural characteristics [35].…”