Inhibitory effect of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide on the electrochemical migration of tin in thin electrolyte layers containing chloride ions

This paper presents a new strategy involving the introduction of the common cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (cetrimonium bromide, CTAB) to inhibit the electrochemical migration (ECM) of tin in thin electrolyte layers containing chloride ions. The inhibitory effect of different CTAB concentrations on tin ECM under different bias voltages was evaluated using in situ electrochemical and optical techniques, as well as ex situ characterizations. Results showed that CTAB can effectively inhibit tin ECM, and CTAB affected the electrodeposition during tin ECM by selective adsorption. Mechanisms were proposed to explain the beneficial role of CTAB.