Alloys, anodic behavior selective dissolution

Some basic aspects of alloy dissolution are best illustrated by the behavior of a liquid binary alloy A-B. This is due (1) to the absence of crystallization overvoltage and dissolution induced structural surface modifications [6] as well as (2) to the high diffusivity in the alloy phase that provides for the reactant supply at the alloy/electrolyte interface if one alloy component dissolves preferentially (at a higher rate than the other) (7). Provided that the standard electrode potential difference of the components, AE = E — El, is large AE > RT/F) and their charge transfer reactions are fast, one expects a schematic polarization curve as shown by Fig. 1(a). For Ea < E < Eb, only the less noble component. A, dissolves ( selective dissolution or deaUoying ), the partial anodic... 

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