The
electrochemical redox and electrodeposition behaviors of nitrosyl
ruthenium in nitric acid solution were systematically investigated
by electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance analysis and cyclic
voltammetry. The results show that the reduction of ruthenium is carried
out in steps. The reduction current of Ru(III) to Ru(II) was observed
at 0.05 V. A cathode current peak was recorded between −0.2
and −0.5 V, accompanied by a significant mass gain, which was
confirmed to be the electrodeposition of metal ruthenium. During the
oxidation process, the deposited Ru was slowly oxidized at a low oxidation
potential, and the Ru dissolved violently at 0.75 V, resulting in
a rapid degradation of the surface quality of the electrode. The electrodeposition
kinetic parameters and nucleation growth mechanism of ruthenium in
the nitric acid system were revealed by means of electrochemical measurement
and model fitting, and the electrocrystallization of ruthenium was
determined as instantaneous nucleation. After potentiostatic deposition
on different substrates, it is found that the coating on the glassy
carbon (GC) sheet presents a crumbly and coiled structure, while the
surface of the coating on the Pt sheet is smoother and has a neat
fracture edge.