Influence of surfactants as additives to electrolyte solutions on zinc electrodeposition and potential oscillation behavior

The effects of surfactants as organic additives to electrolyte solutions on potential oscillation behavior and Zn electrodeposition were observed. Applying a constant current density (−20 mA cm−2), we induced the potential oscillation of electrochemical Zn deposition in aqueous solutions of KOH, ZnO, and surfactants. Potential oscillation behavior for Zn electrodeposition was strongly affected by the presence of surfactants. While an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate) slightly increased the period of potential oscillation, even small amounts of nonionic (Triton X-100) and cationic surfactants [cetyltrimethylammonium bromide(CTAB)] greatly increased the period of potential oscillation. The presence of CTAB in an electrolyte produced small spherical Zn deposits, which clearly implies that CTAB plays a role in suppressing dendrite formation during Zn deposition.