Potential rigorous numerical approach

If the electrode reaction proceeds via a non-linear mechanism, a rate equation of the type of eqn. (123) or (124) serves as a boundary condition in the mathematics of the diffusion problem. Then, a rigorous analytical derivation of the eventual current—potential characteristic is not feasible because the Laplace transfrom method fails if terms like Co and c are present. The most rigorous numerical approach will be... 

In this section, microdisc electrodes will be discussed since the disc is the most important geometry for microelectrodes (see Sect. 2.7). Note that discs are not uniformly accessible electrodes so the mass flux is not the same at different points of the electrode surface. For non-reversible processes, the applied potential controls the rate constant but not the surface concentrations, since these are defined by the local balance of electron transfer rates and mass transport rates at each point of the surface. This local balance is characteristic of a particular electrode geometry and will evolve along the voltammetric response. For this reason, it is difficult (if not impossible) to find analytical rigorous expressions for the current analogous to that presented above for spherical electrodes. To deal with this complex situation, different numerical or semi-analytical approaches have been followed [19-25]. The expression most employed for analyzing stationary responses at disc microelectrodes was derived by Oldham [20], and takes the following form when equal diffusion coefficients are assumed ... 

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