Growth Simulations and Experiments on Needle-Electrode Electrodeposited Dendritic Crystals

Numerical simulations of crystal growth using an improved diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) model were performed and their validity verified by comparison with experimentally grown electrodeposited crystals. The shape and growth of the needle-electrode electrodeposited nickel dendrites were studied. The results show that the electrodeposited materials obtained in the experiment are similar to the particle clusters resulting from the simulation; their fractal dimensions are close to one another and the DLA model effectively explains the rules determining growth of the dendritic crystals. Apart from the velocity and concentration of the particles, the combination probability in the DLA model, applied voltage, deposition time and the electrolyte temperature used for electrodeposition are all important. The deposition layers of the simulated particles have significant fractal structure.