PbTe electrodeposition studied by combined electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance and cyclic voltammetry

Electrodeposition of PbTe thin films from alkaline solutions, and the electrochemical behavior of the related precursors TeO₃^2? and PbEDTA^2?, were studied for the first time by means of an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) combined with cyclic voltammetry. PbTe was found to form by an induced codeposition mechanism via six electron reduction. The reduction mechanism of Te was complicated and sensitive to the substrate surface. On the other hand, the reduction of the PbEDTA^2? complex to Pb⁰ was a simple two electron reaction.