LAUSR

Abstract Electrochemical measurements based on the point defect model and ab initio calculations were employed to investigate the properties of passive films formed on copper in anaerobic sulphide-containing solutions at different temperatures. P-type semiconductor characteristics were observed at potentials more positive than −0.75 V SCE , which is consistent with copper vacancies being the dominant defect, but n-type behaviour was observed at lower potentials. The density of copper vacancies (approximately 10 22  cm −3 ) increases with temperature and formation potential, and the diffusion coefficient of copper vacancies lies within the range of 10 −15 to 10 −14  cm 2 /s based on ab initio computations and electrochemical measurements.