Electrodes electrode types

More recendy, two different types of nonglass pH electrodes have been described which have shown excellent pH-response behavior. In the neutral-carrier, ion-selective electrode type of potentiometric sensor, synthetic organic ionophores, selective for hydrogen ions, are immobilized in polymeric membranes (see Membrane technology) (9). These membranes are then used in more-or-less classical glass pH electrode configurations. 

Tubular Cells. Although the tubular nickel electrode invented by Edison is ahnost always combined with an iron negatwe electrode, a small quantity of cells is produced in wliich nickel in the tubular fomi is used with a pocket cadniium electrode. Tliis type of cell construction is used for low operating temperature environments, where iron electrodes do not perfomi well or where charging current must be limited. 

Charge Transport. Side reactions can occur if the current distribution (electrode potential) along an electrode is not uniform. The side reactions can take the form of unwanted by-product formation or localized corrosion of the electrode. The problem of current distribution is addressed by the analysis of charge transport ia cell design. The path of current flow ia a cell is dependent on cell geometry, activation overpotential, concentration overpotential, and conductivity of the electrolyte and electrodes. Three types of current distribution can be described (48) when these factors are analyzed, a nontrivial exercise even for simple geometries (11). 

The ABMA Commercial BW Requirements gives water condition guidelines for electrode-type boilers, both low voltage (LV) and high voltage (HV) ... 

There have been several reports of all-plastic batteries with PA-electrodes (cell type 4) -249,2S2,253) observcd cell potentials lie between 3.4 and 2.5 V, the short circuit current was 50 mA cm down to 12 mA cm . The overall discharge reaction is ... 

Another type of supercapacitor has been developed in whieh instead of ideally polarizable electrodes, electrodes consisting of disperse platinum metals are used at which thin oxide films are formed by anodic polarization. Film formation is a faradaic process which in certain cases, such as the further partial oxidation and reduction of these layers, occurs under conditions close to reversibility. 

Incorporation into a Polymer Layer In recent years a new electrode type is investigated which represents a layer of conducting polymer (such as polyaniline) into which a metal catalyst is incorporated by chemical or electrochemical deposition. In some cases the specific catalytic activity of the platinum crystallites incorporated into the polymer layer was found to be higher than that of ordinary dispersed platinum, probably because of special structural features of the platinum crystallites produced within the polymer matrix. A variant of this approach is that of incorporating the disperse catalyst directly into the surface layer of a solid polymer electrolyte. 

Biocatalytic membrane electrodes have an ISE or a gas sensing electrode in contact with a thin layer of biocatalytic material, which can be an immobilized enzyme, bacterial particles or a tissue slice, as shown in Fig. 3 The biocatalyst converts substrate (the analyte) into product, which is measured by the electrode. Electrodes of this type are often referred to as biosensors . 

Cell type Electrode type Analyte ion activity Ref... 

In accordance with the classification of electrodes in Section 1.3.1 one can distinguish between redox electrodes (inert type) and electrodes of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd kinds (active type). 

Fig. 2.10. Membrane electrode types. 1 Glass electrode 2, 3 and 4 crystal membrane electrodes. 

Homogeneous liquid membrane electrodes. This type, which is in limited use, is sometimes considered as a solid ion-exchange electrode as the electroactive species, e.g., calcium dioctylphosphate, after being dissolved in an ethanol-diethyl ether solution of collodion, is left to "dry and can function as an ion-selective pellet in an electrode tip. Orion37 use these electrodes with PVC-gelled membranes for Ca2+, K+, BF4 and N03. ... 

Heterogeneous liquid membrane electrodes. This type, which has become of considerable practical importance, consists of a liquid ion-exchange layer or a complex-forming layer within a hydrophobic porous membrane of plastic (PTFE, PVC, etc.), sintered glass or filtering textile (glass-fibre, etc.). The construction of such an electrode is depicted in Fig. 2.12. 

VOLTAMMETRY AT STATIONARY ELECTRODES (INERT TYPES, HMDE, MTFE, ETC.)... 

The first two terms on the right-hand side of this equation express the proper overpotential of the electrode reaction rjr (also called the activation overpotential) while the last term, r)c, is the EMF of the concentration cell without transport, if the components of the redox system in one cell compartment have concentrations (cOx)x=0 and (cRed)x=0 and, in the other compartment, Cqx and cRcd. The overpotential given by this expression includes the excess work carried out as a result of concentration changes at the electrode. This type of overpotential was called the concentration overpotential by Nernst. The expression for a concentration cell without transport can be used here under the assumption that a sufficiently high concentration of the indifferent electrolyte suppresses migration. 

Scheme I. Semiconductor-based photoelectrochemical cell. Energy output may be in the form of electricity by putting a load in series in the external circuit, or the output can be in the form of chemical energy as redox products formed at the electrodes. N-type semiconductors effect uphill oxidations upon illumination, and p-type semiconductors effect uphill reductions under illumination. Either or both electrodes in the cell can be a photoelectrode.

In the final sections, we introduce several key electrochemical applications, such as the pH electrode (a type of concentration cell), nerve cells (which rely on junction potentials) and batteries. 

It is beyond the scope of this chapter to discuss all devices in detail. The discussion is thus focused on the electrode type and material and separators. 

The electrochemical potential in a potentiometric cell is inevitably measured with respect to a standard electrode. Several types of electrodes are commonly used. The standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) is a hydrogen half-cell in which the cell reaction is as follows ... 

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