The development of metal overlayers with smooth and rough topographies

Abstract

A review of the recent advances made in the development of metal electrode surfaces with preferred crystallographic orientations and different roughnesses through the application of periodic potential treatments is presented. The different techniques are described for fcc metals in aqueous solutions with particular attention to platinum and gold. The probable mechanisms of the different electrochemical processes which are responsible for the changes in the surface structure of those metals are discussed. The possibility of modelling the growth of metal surface morphologies are considered as well as the importance of scanning tunneling microscopy imaging to assure the validity of proposed models.