Copper electrodeposition in a magnetic field

The copper electrodeposition from a sulfuric acid solution was investigated in a magnetic field (0–5 T). Linear sweep voltammetry showed that both the limiting current density and the hydrogen evolution were remarkably modified in a magnetic field. Depending on the cathode overpotential, the surface morphology was divided into two groups: faceted structure and columnar dendrite. The faceted structure appeared in the electrochemical activation region and it changed into the finer grain size in a magnetic field. Furthermore, the pole figure measurement suggested that the texture evolution pattern slightly shifted from two-dimensional to three-dimensional crystal growth in a magnetic field (≥3 T). No essential microstructural variation due to the magnetic effect was observed in spite of considerable morphological variations in the region purely controlled by the mass transfer.