Influence of rare earth (La³⁺) on morphological and structural characterization of silver films obtained from 5, 5-dimethyl hydantoin solutions

Effect of rare earth (La³⁺) on the electrodeposition of silver from 5, 5-dimethyl hydantoin solutions was investigated using linear sweep voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Linear sweep voltammetry studies show that the presence of rare earth (La³⁺) in the electrolyte suppresses the silver electrodeposition and shifts the deposition potential to more negative values. SEM and XRD analysis indicate that the morphological and structural characterizations of silver deposits are influenced by the adding of rare earth (La³⁺). Due to the addition of rare earth (La³⁺) in the electrolyte, finer grained deposits are produced and the main orientation of the silver deposit changes from (111) to (200).