Electrode thermodynamics

For liquid electrodes thermodynamics offers a precise way to determine the surface charge and the surface excesses of a species. This is one of the reasons why much of the early work in electrochemistry was performed on liquid electrodes, particularly on mercury - another reason is that it is easier to generate clean liquid surfaces than clean solid surfaces. With some caveats and modifications, thermodynamic relations can also be applied to solid surfaces. We will first consider the interface between a liquid electrode and an electrolyte solution, and turn to solid electrodes later. 

Petrii, O.A. and Vitins, A., Adsorption properties of the iridium oxide electrode Thermodynamic approach, Elektrokhimiya, 27, 461, 1991. 

E. Lust, Double layers at single crystal and polycrystalline electrodes. Thermodynamics and Electrified Interfaces, Encyclopedia of Electrochemistry (Eds. E. Gileadi, M. Urbakh), Wiley-VCH, Germany, Vol. 1, Chap. 2.4. forthcoming. 

Redox active biomolecules have been smdied by open cell thermoelectro-chemistiy. By potentiometry of cytochrome C at a gold electrode, thermodynamic quantities like AG have been identified [170]. Important thermodynamic constants, among them the entropic term of the redox processes in an immobilised myoglobin layer, have been determined in a similar way [171]. 

Silver-silver halide 4 3 3 Secondary reference electrode, thermodynamic studies... 

If an appreciable current flows between the electrode and the solution, thus disturbing the reversible thermodynamic equilibrium conditions, the electrode is said to be polarized and the system is then operating under irreversible conditions. 

Stem layer adsorption was involved in the discussion of the effect of ions on f potentials (Section V-6), electrocapillary behavior (Section V-7), and electrode potentials (Section V-8) and enters into the effect of electrolytes on charged monolayers (Section XV-6). More speciflcally, this type of behavior occurs in the adsorption of electrolytes by ionic crystals. A large amount of wotk of this type has been done, partly because of the importance of such effects on the purity of precipitates of analytical interest and partly because of the role of such adsorption in coagulation and other colloid chemical processes. Early studies include those by Weiser [157], by Paneth, Hahn, and Fajans [158], and by Kolthoff and co-workers [159], A recent calorimetric study of proton adsorption by Lyklema and co-workers [160] supports a new thermodynamic analysis of double-layer formation. A recent example of this is found in a study... 

Thermodynamic data (4) for selected manganese compounds is given ia Table 3 standard electrode potentials are given ia Table 4. A pH—potential diagram for aqueous manganese compounds at 25°C is shown ia Figure 1 (9). 

Whenever energy is transformed from one form to another, an iaefficiency of conversion occurs. Electrochemical reactions having efficiencies of 90% or greater are common. In contrast, Carnot heat engine conversions operate at about 40% efficiency. The operation of practical cells always results ia less than theoretical thermodynamic prediction for release of useful energy because of irreversible (polarization) losses of the electrode reactions. The overall electrochemical efficiency is, therefore, defined by ... 

Activation Processes. To be useful ia battery appHcations reactions must occur at a reasonable rate. The rate or abiUty of battery electrodes to produce current is determiaed by the kinetic processes of electrode operations, not by thermodynamics, which describes the characteristics of reactions at equihbrium when the forward and reverse reaction rates are equal. Electrochemical reaction kinetics (31—35) foUow the same general considerations as those of bulk chemical reactions. Two differences are a potential drop that exists between the electrode and the solution because of the electrical double layer at the electrode iaterface and the reaction that occurs at iaterfaces that are two-dimensional rather than ia the three-dimensional bulk. 

In the thermodynamic treatment of electrode potentials, the assumption was made that the reactions were reversible, which implies that the reactions occur infinitely slowly. This is never the case in practice. When a battery deUvers current, the electrode reactions depart from reversible behavior and the battery voltage decreases from its open circuit or equiUbrium voltage E. Thus the voltage during battery use or discharge E is lower than the voltage measured under open circuit or reversible conditions E by a quantity called the polari2ation Tj. 

These equations are based on the thermodynamically stable species. Further research is needed to clarify the actual intermediate formed during overcharge. In reahty, the oxygen cycle can not be fully balanced because of other side reactions, that include gtid corrosion, formation of residual lead oxides in the positive electrode, and oxidation of organic materials in the cell. As a result, some gases, primarily hydrogen and carbon dioxide (53), are vented. 

The thermodynamics of electrochemical reactions can be understood by considering the standard electrode potential, the potential of a reaction under standard conditions of temperature and pressure where all reactants and products are at unit activity. Table 1 Hsts a variety of standard electrode potentials. The standard potential is expressed relative to the standard hydrogen reference electrode potential in units of volts. A given reaction tends to proceed in the anodic direction, ie, toward the oxidation reaction, if the potential of the reaction is positive with respect to the standard potential. Conversely, a movement of the potential in the negative direction away from the standard potential encourages a cathodic or reduction reaction. 

F r d ic Current. The double layer is a leaky capacitor because Faradaic current flows around it. This leaky nature can be represented by a voltage-dependent resistance placed in parallel and called the charge-transfer resistance. Basically, the electrochemical reaction at the electrode surface consists of four thermodynamically defined states, two each on either side of a transition state. These are (11) (/) oxidized species beyond the diffuse double layer and n electrons in the electrode and (2) oxidized species within the outer Helmholtz plane and n electrons in the electrode, on one side of the transition state and (J) reduced species within the outer Helmholtz plane and (4) reduced species beyond the diffuse double layer, on the other. 

Because some substances may preferentially adsorb onto the surface of the electrode, the composition near the iaterface differs from that ia the bulk solution. If the cell current is 2ero, there is no potential drop from ohmic resistance ia the electrolyte or the electrodes. Yet from the thermodynamic analysis it is seen that there is a measurable cell potential. The question from where this potential arises can be answered by considering the iaterface. 

In addition, the potential of the electrode can be varied, resulting in a change in the stmcture of the interface. If no current is passed when the potential of the electrode changes, the electrode is called an ideally polarizable electrode, and can be described using thermodynamics. 

Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) with ionophore-based membranes allow for quantification of a large number of analytes in various matrixes. Tailoring of the composition of the membranes to comply with the analytical task, requires advanced theory of membrane response. Most of theoretical descriptions include nonrealistic extra-thermodynamic assumptions, in the first place it is assumed that some kind of species strongly predominate in membranes. Ideally, a rigorous theory of ISE response should be based on strict thermodynamics. However, real ISE membranes are too complex. Therefore, known attempts aimed at rigorous thermodynamic description of ISEs proved to be fraritless. 

In the discussion of the relative acidity of carboxylic acids in Chapter 1, the thermodynamic acidity, expressed as the acid dissociation constant, was taken as the measure of acidity. It is straightforward to determine dissociation constants of such adds in aqueous solution by measurement of the titration curve with a pH-sensitive electrode (pH meter). Determination of the acidity of carbon acids is more difficult. Because most are very weak acids, very strong bases are required to cause deprotonation. Water and alcohols are far more acidic than most hydrocarbons and are unsuitable solvents for generation of hydrocarbon anions. Any strong base will deprotonate the solvent rather than the hydrocarbon. For synthetic purposes, aprotic solvents such as ether, tetrahydrofuran (THF), and dimethoxyethane (DME) are used, but for equilibrium measurements solvents that promote dissociation of ion pairs and ion clusters are preferred. Weakly acidic solvents such as DMSO and cyclohexylamine are used in the preparation of strongly basic carbanions. The high polarity and cation-solvating ability of DMSO facilitate dissociation... 

Passivity—a condition of a metal or alloy in which the material is normally thermodynamically unstable in a given electrolytic solution but remains visibly unchanged for a prolonged period. The electrode potential of a passive metal is always appreciably more noble than its potential in the active state. 

It is of special interest for many applications to consider adsorption of fiuids in matrices in the framework of models which include electrostatic forces. These systems are relevant, for example, to colloidal chemistry. On the other hand, electrodes made of specially treated carbon particles and impregnated by electrolyte solutions are very promising devices for practical applications. Only a few attempts have been undertaken to solve models with electrostatic forces, those have been restricted, moreover, to ionic fiuids with Coulomb interactions. We would hke to mention in advance that it is clear, at present, how to obtain the structural properties of ionic fiuids adsorbed in disordered charged matrices. Other systems with higher-order multipole interactions have not been studied so far. Thermodynamics of these systems, and, in particular, peculiarities of phase transitions, is the issue which is practically unsolved, in spite of its great importance. This part of our chapter is based on recent works from our laboratory [37,38]. 

The thermodynamic driving force behind the corrosion process can be related to the corrosion potential adopted by the metal while it is corroding. The corrosion potential is measured against a standard reference electrode. For seawater, the corrosion potentials of a number of constructional materials are shown in Table 53.1. The listing ranks metals in their thermodynamic ability to corrode. Corrosion rates are governed by additional factors as described above. 

In this section the interaction of a metal with its aqueous environment will be considered from the viewpoint Of thermodynamics and electrode kinetics, and in order to simplify the discussion it will be assumed that the metal is a homogeneous continuum, and no account will be taken of submicroscopic, microscopic and macroscopic heterogeneities, which are dealt with elsewhere see Sections 1.3 and 20.4). Furthermore, emphasis will be placed on uniform corrosion since localised attack is considered in Section 1.6. 

In the previous example of an electrolytic cell the two electrodes were immersed in the same solution of silver nitrate, and the system was therefore thermodynamically at equilibrium. However, if the activities of Ag at the electrodes differ, the system is unstable, and charge transfer will occur in a direction that tends to equalise the activities, and equilibrium is achieved only when they are equal. 

The above considerations show that the rate of a corrosion reaction is dependent on both the thermodynamic parameter and the kinetic parameters rjj and rjj. It is also apparent that (q) the potential actually measured when corrosion reaction occurs on a metal surface is mixed, compromise or corrosion potential whose magnitude depends on E, and on the Ej, -I and Ej, -I relationships, and (b) direct measurement of 7 is not possible when the electrodes are inseparable. 

Pourbaix, M., Recent Applications of Electrode Potential Measurements in the Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Corrosion of Metals , Corros., 25, 267 (1969) de Nora, O., Gallone, P., Traini, C. and Meneghini, G., On the Mechanism of Anodic Chlorate Oxidation , J. Electrochem. Soc., 116, 147 (1969)... 

Pourbaix, M., Recent Applications of Electrode Potential Measurements in the Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Corrosion of Metals , Corrosion, 25, 267 (1%9)... 

It should be noted that the simple Nernst equation cannot be used since the standard electrode potential is markedly temperature dependent. By means of irreversible thermodynamics equations have been computed to calculate these potentials and are in good agreement with experimentally determined results. 

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