The effect of ultrasound on electrochemical processes

Sonochemistry is concerned with the effect of ultrasonic waves on chemical reactivity (Mason, 1991) and is an area of rapidly growing importance in a diversity of applications. Ultrasound has a frequency above that which is audible 

Ultrasound is known for its capacity to promote heterogeneous reactions (Ley and Low, 1989) mainly through greatly increased mass transport, interfacial cleaning and thermal effects. In addition, homogeneous chemical reactions have been reported to be modified (Suslick et ai, 1983 Luche, 1990 Colarusso and Serpone, 1996) for example the sonochemical generation of radical species in aqueous media is important in environmental detoxification (Kotronarou et al., 1991 Serpone et al., 1994). 

Recent experimental advances have allowed the interpretation of sonoelectrochemical phenomena from a physical and mechanistic standpoint. In particular, the principles underlying voltammetric experiments conducted in the presence of ultrasound are now much better appreciated, and situations where the incorporation of ultrasound is beneficial have been identified. Fundamental aspects of sonoelectrochemistry have been reviewed (Compton et al., 1997a,b). In this section we focus almost exclusively on sonovoltammetry. 

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The effect of ultrasound on electrochemical processes 69 Sonovoltammetric experiments practical considerations 70 Mass transport effects a simple description 71 Sonotrodes 77... 

The effects of ultrasound on electrochemical processes remain a largely unexplored area but research suggests significant benefits. These include modifications to the chemistry of reactions at the electrode and greatly increased current efficiencies. The applications of sonoelectrochemistry in environmental control is also a developing area as will be seen in the next section. 

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