Electrodeposition of mesoporous CdTe films with the aid of citric acid from lyotropic liquid crystalline phases

Abstract

Nanostructured CdTe films were electrodeposited on CdS substrates from lyotropic liquid crystalline phases of non-ionic surfactants using citric acid. The deposition mechanism was studied using cyclic voltammetry. The effect of citric acid on the deposition properties of CdTe was investigated. The CdTe films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, polarized optical microscopy, and UV–vis spectroscopy. In addition quartz crystal microbalance studies were carried out to provide further evidence for the mesoporosity of the CdTe films. The results indicated that the films exhibited a mesoporous structure and good optical properties.