Anodic electrodeposition of Ag(1-x)Cu(x) mircocrystals

We demonstrate the anodic electrodeposition of copper-doped AgO at high pH using a silver counter-electrode. Precipitates from a mixture of nitrates and NaOH provided source material for the deposition, and application of a moderate anodic voltage (0.9 V) to the substrate led to deposition of crystalline nanoparticles with incorporated copper. Further increase of the NaOH concentration reduced the amount of copper in the crystals, and higher voltages degraded the crystal quality. XRD confirms the underlying structure to be that of AgO, and Auger and energy dispersive x-ray analyses confirm copper concentrations of approximately 3 % in the crystals.