Electrodeposition of Au-Cd alloy nanostructures on Au(111)

This report concerns an in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy study of the initial stages in the formation of a Au-Cd alloy on the Au(111) herringbone reconstruction. Although Au-Cd nanoclusters of alloy have been observed in sulfate electrolyte by this group, alloy "nanowires" were observed to form preferentially in the hcp regions between the sets of "soliton" walls of the reconstruction only in the presence of chloride. The nanowires were formed at -0.55 V versus 3 M Ag/AgCl, corresponding to Cd underpotential deposition (upd). Upd is electrodeposition at a potential prior to that needed to deposit the bulk element.