ANODIC formation of thin Cu(I) and Ag(I) oxide films on Cu‐Au and Ag—Au alloys

The anodic dissolution of Cu, Ag and their alloys with gold under the conditions of the formation of copper or silver oxides was examined by the technique of cyclic voltammetry, chronoammetry and photopotential measurements. The anodic formation and cathodic reduction of Cu(I) oxide on copper and Cu‐Au alloys or Ag(I) oxide on silver and Ag‐Au alloys with X Au ≤30 at.% are controlled by migration in the oxide film. The peculiarity of Ag‐Au system is connected with the duplex structure of the oxide film and the initial selective dissolution of silver from Ag15Au and Ag30Au alloys. Ag 2 O oxide is an n‐type semiconductor with an excess of silver atoms. Oxide layers formed on monocrystalline silver are more stoichiometric than the layer formed on polycrystalline Ag. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.