Abstract
ZnO films were potentiostatically electrodeposited in 0.1 M Zn(NO3)2 aqueous solution on to ITO/FTO substrate. Two types of electrode configurations were employed in order to discuss quantitatively the effect of gravitational strength on nucleation and growth of ZnO in detail: (a) a horizontal cathode surface facing downward over an anode (C/A) and (b) an anode over a cathode (A/C). Current transients were generally derived into four stages: the increased measured current quickly drops in the first stages, records a minimum current in the 2nd and then starts to increase in the 3rd followed by the 4th. The measured transient in the 4th stage is surely influenced by gravitational field vector: it slightly declines in C/A while continues to increase with time in A/C. SEM pictures show that the A/C configuration introduces more number of nuclei than the case of C/A configuration. The present research is provided for the preliminary terrestrial experiment before the electrochemical processing in microgravity environment.
