Gold electrodes, underpotential deposition

Fedchenfeld, H. and Weaver, M.J. (1989) Binding of alkynes to silver, gold, and underpotential deposited silver electrodes as deduced by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, 93, 4276—4282. 

Based on the experimental conditions the gold electrode is most likely covered with underpotential deposited (upd) silver. Consequently the value of iip c should be compared with the corresponding value for a silver electrode. 

Du and Wang [457] have developed a method for bismuth determination, based on good electrochemical properties of gold electrode covered with underpotentially deposited Bi. In this method, Bi was preconcentrated at the Au surface and this step was followed by anodic stripping. 

More than at mercury, it makes a difference whether the electrode is inert or not. In the first case, the electrode reaction is of the type Fe3+/ Fe2+ etc. and the modelling of processes is the same as with mercury. However, if the electrode reaction is of the type Zn2+/Zn, e.g. at a gold electrode, at least the electrode surface will be modified by the deposited zinc, Frequently, it is observed that the first monolayer of the foreign metal is deposited at a potential substantially positive to its standard potential. This phenomenon is named underpotential deposition and bears some resemblance to an electrode reaction that involves adsorption of the reacting species (see Sect. 6). 

Pitner and Hussey studied the electrochemistry of tin in acidic and basic AICI3/I-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride-based ionic liquids by using voltammetry and chronoamperometry at 40 °C [15]. They reported that the Sn(II) reduction process is uncomplicated at a platinum substrate, where in the atidic ionic liquid the reduction wave was observed at +0.46 V on the Pt electrode and the oxidation at +0.56 V. When they used a gold electrode instead of platinum, they observed an underpotential deposition of a tin monolayer and an additional underpotential deposition process that was attributed to the formation of tin-gold alloy at the surface. The deposition of tin on glassy carbon was controlled by nudeation. 

Metal ion and halide impurities are an issue in ionic liquids with discrete anions. As we have demonstrated in Chapter 11.5 Li+ (and K+) are common cationic impurities, especially in the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amides which typically contain 100 ppm of these ions from the metathesis reaction. Although Li and K are only electrodeposited in the bulk phase at electrode potentials close to the decomposition potential of the pyrrolidinium ions, there is evidence for the underpotential deposition of Li and K on gold and on other rather noble metals. For a technical process to deposit nickel or cobalt from ionic liquids the codeposition of Li and/or K, even in the underpotential deposition regime, has to be expected. 

Noble metal electrodes include metals whose redox couple M/Mz+ is not involved in direct electrochemical reactions in all nonaqueous systems of interest. Typical examples that are the most important practically are gold and platinum. It should be emphasized, however, that there are some electrochemical reactions which are specific to these metals, such as underpotential deposition of lithium (which depends on the host metal) [45], Metal oxide/hydroxide formation can occur, but, in any event, these are surface reactions on a small scale (submonolayer -> a few monolayers at the most [6]). 

In some cases, the electrode material is the limiting factor of the electrochemical stability window. In a metal salt solution, underpotential deposition (UPD) may occur. In some examples, such as gold or platinum electrodes in the presence of lithium ions, the UPD appears at potentials that are substantially higher than the bulk metal deposition [4-6], In addition, some metals may possess catalytic activity for specific reduction or oxidation processes [7-12], Many nonactive metals (distinguished from the noble metals), including Ni, Cu, and Ag, which are commonly used as electrode materials, may dissolve at certain potentials that are much lower than the oxidation potentials of the solvent or the salt. In addition, some electrode materials may be catalytic to certain oxidation or reduction processes of the solution components, and thus we can see differences in the stability limits of nonaqueous systems depending on the type of electrode used. 

The high mass sensitivity of ETSM sensors renders them particularly suited for the analysis of monolayer and submonolayer films. In fact, the earliest applications of the ETSM involved studying the electrochemical deposition of monolayers, including the formation of metal oxides [207], electrosorption of halides [208], and the underpotential deposition of metal atoms [209-213]. In some cases, the electrovalency (i.e., the ratio of moles of electrons transferred at the electrode to moles of adsorbate deposited) was found to vary with adsorbing species the adsorption of iodide onto gold, for example, occurs with complete charge transfer from the halide to the electrode, whereas the adsorption of bro-... 

Figure 14. VoUammetric scans for the underpotential deposition of copper on (A) an epitaxial film of gold (111 orientation) on mica, and on (B) a bulk Pt(l 11) single-crystal electrode coated with a layer of iodine. Experimental conditions (A) 1M H2SO4 containing 5 X 10 MCu , sweep rate 1 mV/sec. (B) 0.1 M HjSO containing 5 x 10 M Cu sweep rate 1 mV/sec. (From Abruna, H. D., White, J. H., et al., J. Phys. Chem. 92, 7045 (1988), with permission.)...

Te and Cu monolayers on gold, as well as Ag and Bi monolayers on platinum were obtained by cathodic underpotential deposition and investigated in situ by the potentiodynamic electrochemical impedance spectroseopy (PDEIS). PDEIS gives the graphical representation of the real and imaginary interfacial impedance dependencies on ac frequency and electrode potential in real-time in the potential scan. The built-in analyzer of the virtual spectrometer decomposes the total electrochemical response into the responses of the constituents of the equivalent electric circuits (EEC). Dependencies of EEC parameters on potential, especially the variation of capacitance and pseudocapacitance of the double layer, appeared to be very sensitive indicators of the interfacial dynamics. 

Cadmium atomic layer electrodeposition above reversible Cd2+/Cd potential (underpotential deposition, upd) on bulk tellurium and Te atomic layer predeposited on gold has been characterised with potentiodynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (PDEIS) by variations, with the electrode potential E, of double layer pseudocapacitance Q,u, charge transfer resistance Rrt and Warburg coefficient Aw of diffusion impedance. 

Beden B, Kadirgan F, Kahyaoglu A, Lamy C (1982) Electrocatalytic oxidatitm of ethyleneglycol in alkaline-medium on platinum-gold alloy electrodes modified by underpotential deposition of lead adatoms. J Electroanal Chem 135(2) 329-334... 

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