The Effect of rf-Irradiation on Electrochemical Deposition and Its Stabilization by Nanoparticle Doping

Abstract

Qualitative observations of electrochemical deposition in thin circular cells have shown that radio-frequency ͑rf͒ irradiation of zinc sulfate solutions can dramatically affect the deposition patterns. For some growth parameters the rf-treatment can even induce morphology transitions between the dense branching morphology and dendritic growth. We found that the effects of rf-treatments can last for a long time ͑hours͒. In addition, detailed studies using electron microscopy observations reveal that the effects span on all scales, from the micrometer-scale organization to the self-organization of the macroscopic pattern. We propose that these changes of patterning on all scales resulted from singular effects of gas-filled submicrometer bubbles or nanobubbles, which are generated by the rf-irradiation. The idea is that hydration shells around the nanobubbles induce water ordering that acts as a new singular perturbation mechanism in the solution. The latter is in addition to the well studied microscale singular perturbation mechanisms in the deposit ͑surface tension and attachment kinetics͒. We also studied electrochemical deposition in zinc sulfate solutions prepared from water that is doped with nanoparticles under rf-irradiation, and found similar and even amplified effects. Moreover, the nanoparticle doping stabilizes the effects-they are retained months after the solutions were prepared.

Water Dynamics at the Root of Metamorphosis in Living Organisms

“…On the contrary, in the special waters where the extended coherence is established, the space distribution of CDs becomes much less flickering and this is mirrored by a non-flickering ordered space distribution of microbubbles. This is exactly what is observed in Neowater described in reference [42]. Therefore, the transition between flickering and ordered arrays of microbubbles in liquid water reflects the transition between coherence and non coherence of the water CDs.…”

“…Consequently, liquids endowed with this extended coherence exhibit a less flickering internal landscape, giving rise to the possibility of a bulk water showing coherent patterns. This is exactly what is observed in the special waters produced recently [42][43][44][45]. We observe also that coherence among coherence domains is not equivalent to glue the CDs together but implies simply that separated domains oscillate in unison.…”

“…The existence of a plurality of phases of liquid water has recently received important corroboration. There have been reports that by submitting liquid water to well defined physical treatments (irradiation by electromagnetic waves, suspension of microspheres of inert materials, dissolution of fullerene macromolecules), special varieties of liquid are obtained having properties different than normal water and similar to EZ water [42][43][44]. Moreover, a variety of water-having properties similar to water present in biological organisms-has been obtained by performing particular biological processes in normal water, essentially connected with photosynthesis [45].…”

“…In this last case, viscosity was quite lower than in normal water, opposite to the case of EZ water. Other anomalous properties of the above varieties of water involve thermodynamics (strong decrease of the mixing heat with titrated alkaline solutions) [46] and electrochemistry (different shapes of the deposits of electrolytes on the electrodes) [42]. The co-existence of several phases of liquid water in the same thermodynamic conditions therefore can be no longer excluded.…”

Can a Century Old Experiment Reveal Hidden Properties of Water?

“…This tuning of the different CDs can be induced also by the application of an external e.m. field. This prediction could account for the experimental observation of a so called "neowater" produced by Katsir et al [156]. The stabilization of the array of water CDs implies the stabilization of the corresponding ensemble of nano bubbles, which will therefore form a stable ordered array like reported in [156] and [157].…”