Abstract
A model of current distribution and electrode shape change for electrodeposition in the presence of diffusion‐controlled leveling agents has been developed. The system is treated as a special case of secondary current distribution, with the surface overpotential taken to depend on both the current density and the transport‐limited flux of the leveling agent, according to an empirical relation adapted from polarization data measured at different conditions of agitation. The spatial variation of the leveling‐agent flux is determined from a concentration field problem based on the assumption of a stagnant diffusion layer. The solution is obtained by the boundary element method, with a flexible moving‐boundary algorithm for simulating the advancement of the electrode profile. To illustrate the model's performance, the evolution of a groove profile during deposition of nickel from a Watts‐type bath containing coumarin is predicted and compared with measurements reported in the literature.