Overpotential and

Smaller values of necessitate the appHcation of voltages greater than those calculated from the Nemst equation to obtain a corresponding set of surface concentrations of electroactive species. These voltages are called overpotentials and iadicate chemically related difficulties with the electrolysis. In other words, electron exchange between the electrode and the electroactive species is impeded by the chemistry of the process itself. 

In electrode kinetics a relationship is sought between the current density and the composition of the electrolyte, surface overpotential, and the electrode material. This microscopic description of the double layer indicates how stmcture and chemistry affect the rate of charge-transfer reactions. Generally in electrode kinetics the double layer is regarded as part of the interface, and a macroscopic relationship is sought. For the general reaction... 

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 activation overpotential, and hence the activation energy, varies exponentially with the rate of charge transfer per unit area of electrode surface, as defined by the well-known Tafel equation... 

The relation between transport overpotential and current density for a cathodic reaction is given by... 

In the case of chromium in 1 N H2SO4 transpassivity occurs at about 1 1 V (below the potential for oxygen evolution, since the equilibrium potential in acid solutions at pH 0 is 1 23 V and oxygen evolution requires an appreciable overpotential) and is associated with oxidation of chromium to dichromate anions ... 

The stability of tin over the middle pH range (approximately 3-5-9), its solubility in acids or alkalis (modified by the high hydrogen overpotential), and the formation of complex ions are the basis of its general corrosion behaviour. Other properties which have influenced the selection of tin for particular purposes are the non-toxicity of tin salts and the absence of catalytic promotion of oxidation processes that may cause changes in oils or other neutral media affecting their quality or producing corrosive acids. 

The present Section, which provides an outline of selected relevant topics in electrochemistry, is intended primarily as an introduction to aqueous corrosion for those readers whose basic training has not involved a study of electrochemistry. The scope of electrochemistry is enormous and cannot be treated adequately here, but there are now a number of excellent books on the subject, and it is hoped that this outline will serve to stimulate further study. The topics selected are as follows a) the nature of the electrified interface between the metal and the solution, (b) adsorption, (c) transfer of charge across the interface under equilibrium and non-equilibrium conditions, d) overpotential and the rate of an electrode reaction and (e) the hydrogen evolution reaction and hydrogen absorption by ferrous alloys. For reasons of space a number of important topics, such as the electrochemistry of electrolyte solutions, have been omitted. 

Voltammetry performed at different sweep rates, keeping both the cathodic overpotential and the temperature constant, is predicted to have... 

Taking into account the variation in the oxidized area as a function of the overpotential, and the counter-ion flows, the charge consumed during the potential sweep in those regions where the structure was previously opened under conformational relaxation control, is given by... 

D.Y. Wang, and A.S. Nowick, Cathodic and anodic polarization phenomena at platinum electrodes with doped Ce02 as electrolyte. II. Transient overpotential and A-C Impedance, /. Electrochem. Soc. 126(7), 1166-1172(1979). 

The effect of catalyst overpotential and potential on the rates of these two reactions is shown in Figs. 8.45 and 8.46. They both exhibit electrophobic behaviour for Uwr>U r and electrophilic behaviour for UWR< U, i.e. the reaction exhibits pronounced inverted volcano behaviour. 

V) is actually required to electrolyze water when platinum electrodes are used. Much contemporary research on electrochemical cells involves attempts to reduce the overpotential and hence to increase the efficiency of electrolytic processes. 

So far, uncatalysed electrochemical processes have had to compete with catalytic organic processes. There is considerable scope for a specific catalyst to be developed for specific organic electrochemical reactions. This implies reduced overpotential and acceleration of slow chemical rather than relatively fast charge-transfer steps (Jansson, 1984). Electrocatalysis... 

The above brief analysis underlines that the porous structure of the carbon substrate and the presence of an ionomer impose limitations on the application of porous and thin-layer RDEs to studies of the size effect. Unless measurements are carried out at very low currents, corrections for mass transport and ohmic limitations within the CL [Gloaguen et ah, 1998 Antoine et ah, 1998] must be performed, otherwise evaluation of kinetic parameters may be erroneous. This is relevant for the ORR, and even more so for the much faster HOR, especially if the measurements are performed at high overpotentials and with relatively thick CLs. Impurities, which are often present in technical carbons, must also be considered, given the high purity requirements in electrocatalytic measurements in aqueous electrolytes at room temperature and for samples with small surface area. 

In addition, it sustains CO electro-oxidation at relatively low overpotential, and there are crystal face dependences for both the ORR and CO oxidation. Since Au is also a system that exhibits both particle size and support effects in heterogeneous catalysis, it provides an interesting model system for smdying such effects in electrocatalysis. 

The electrolysis temperature affects the electrolyte conductivity, the overpotential, and the solubility of the electrodeposit in aqueous as well as in molten salt systems. The effect of temperature is particularly important in the latter case. The lower limit of the temperature of operation is set by the liquidus temperature of the bath and the solubility of the solute. Generally, the temperature chosen is at least 50 °C above the melting temperature of... 

Table 4.6 yield a redox potential range of at least (0.78 4- 0.83) + (1.23 + 0.52) = 3.36 V. Another important effect, already published by Tafel (Ch. 3, ref. 7), is that an increase in the electrolytic current density often results in a further rise of the overpotentials (and therefore of the redox potential range) (cf., eqn. 3.38 and Fig. 3.16 for non-amalgamating metals in polarography). 

The Warburg impedance is related to the concentration overpotential and applied AC by... 

The voltage demand was the sum of the various overpotentials and ohmic loss, since there was little concentration difference in H2 across the membrane in these experiments. These polarizations were not individually identified. 

Therefore, criteria in the selection of an electrode reaction for mass-transfer studies are (1) sufficient difference between the standard electrode potential of the reaction that serves as a source or sink for mass transport and that of the succeeding reaction (e.g., hydrogen evolution following copper deposition in acidified solution), and (2) a sufficiently low surface overpotential and rate of increase of surface overpotential with current density, so that, as the current is increased, the potential will not reach the level required by the succeeding electrode process (e.g., H2 evolution) before the development of the limiting-current plateau is complete. 

Potentiostatic current sources, which allow application of a controlled overpotential to the working electrode, are used widely by electrochemists in surface kinetic studies and find increasing use in limiting-current measurements. A decrease in the reactant concentration at the electrode is directly related to the concentration overpotential, rj0 (Eq. 6), which, in principle, can be established directly by means of a potentiostat. However, the controlled overpotential is made up of several contributions, as indicated in Section III,C, and hence, the concentration overpotential is by no means defined when a given overpotential is applied its fraction of the total overpotential varies with the current in a complicated way. Only if the surface overpotential and ohmic potential drop are known to be negligible at the limiting current density can one assume that the reactant concentration at the electrode is controlled by the applied potential according to Eq. (6). 

A steep rise of current to the plateau. This rise would be complete within approximately 200 mV, if surface overpotential were negligible. (See, e.g., Fig. 3a, illustrating cathodic deposition of copper in which the experimental current-voltage curve indicates an appreciable surface overpotential, and Fig. 3b, illustrating cathodic reduction of ferricyanide in which the surface overpotential is negligible.)... 

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