The preferred orientation of electrodeposited dendrites of lead, tin and zinc

Morphology and crystal orientation of electrolytically produced dendrites of lead, tin, and zinc have been investigated with the aim of establishing any correlation between them. These three metals belong to the same group of metals from an electrochemical point of view (the group of normal metals), but to various types of crystal lattice (Pb - the facecentered cubic type, Sn - the body-centered tetragonal type, and Zn - the hexagonal closed pack type). Pb, Sn and Zn dendrites were produced potentiostatically using the corresponding hydroxide electrolytes and characterized by scanning electron microscopy (morphology) and X-ray diffraction (crystal orientation) techniques. The preferred orientation of the dendritic particles was determined by applying a method based on a comparison of the peak intensity ratios. The fern-like dendrites of various degrees of branchy were obtained by the processes of electrolysis, and regardless of the type of crystal lattice, they exhibited the strong preferred orientation in crystal planes with the lowest surface energy. Based on the performed analysis, a strong correlation between the morphology and the crystal structure of dendrites belonging to the group of normal metals has been established. It is concluded that electrochemical parameters characterized by the high values of the exchange current density (the fast electrochemical processes) prevailed over crystallographic characteristics of metals manifested by the belonging to a determined type of crystal lattice.