| Abstract Scope |
Electropolishing is one of the most important way of surface engineering. It is used in the surface preparation of the Cu-Sn bronze for producing of Nb3Sn superconductor by interdiffusion. Bronze is used as a source of Sn and Nb-Sn reaction is induced by depositing Nb on the bronze. Therefore, bronze surface needs to be atomically clean and mechanically flat, which may be easily achieved by electropolishing.
Spurred by such need, we have explored the electropolishing of Bronze (10%Sn) with various conditions. Our characterization indicates that electropolished bronze surface may form a double layer structure of the Sn containing compounds with cations from the electrolyte, and Sn4 exists as outside and Sn2 exists as inside layer. Further, surface profiling shows that the surface roughness is sensitively affected by specifics of electropolishing condition, both temperature and current density, probably because those factors affect etching rates of Cu-rich and Sn-rich phases differently. |