Theoretical and experimental study of the influence of PEG and PEI on copper electrodeposition

Abstract

Through theoretical calculation and experimental research, the electrodeposition process of preparing a copper catalyst in an acid electrolyte using polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyethylene imine (PEI), and a PEG and PEI mixture as additives was studied. The cutting-edge molecular orbital information of PEG and PEI was studied through quantum chemical calculations. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the interface interaction between PEG and PEI and the metal surface. The microscopic morphology and crystal structure of the coating were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). It is found that adding composite additives to the studied acidic copper electroplating could obtain a copper coating with a spherical shape, small particle size, and good dispersion effect. This study proves that a PEI and PEG-based copper plating solution is a promising method for preparing high-performance copper-based catalysts in the acid copper electroplating process.