Transient diffusion error function

The solutions of a diffusion equation under the transient case (non-steady state) are often some special functions. The values of these functions, much like the exponential function or the trigonometric functions, cannot be calculated simply with a piece of paper and a pencil, not even with a calculator, but have to be calculated with a simple computer program (such as a spreadsheet program, but see later comments for practical help). Nevertheless, the values of these functions have been tabulated, and are now easily available with a spreadsheet program. The properties of these functions have been studied in great detail, again much like the exponential function and the trigonometric functions. One such function encountered often in one-dimensional diffusion problems is the error function, erf(z). The error function erf(z) is defined by... 

The solution for a diffusion couple in which two semi-infinite ternary alloys are bonded initially at a planar interface is worked out in Exercise 6.1 by the same basic method. Because each component has step-function initial conditions, the solution is a sum of error-function solutions (see Section 4.2.2). Such diffusion couples are used widely in experimental studies of ternary diffusion. In Fig. 6.2 the diffusion profiles of Ni and Co are shown for a ternary diffusion couple fabricated by bonding together two Fe-Ni-Co alloys of differing compositions. The Ni, which was initially uniform throughout the couple, develops transient concentration gradients. This example of uphill diffusion results from interactions with the other components in the alloy. Coupling of the concentration profiles during diffusion in this ternary case illustrates the complexities that are present in multicomponent diffusion but absent from the binary case. 

Consider now the effect of uncompensated iR on the shape of the potentiostatic transients. This was shown in Fig. 6D. The point to remember is that although the potentiostat may put out an excellent step function - one with a rise time that is very short compared to the time of the transient measured - the actual potential applied to the interphase changes during the whole transient, as the current changes with time (cf. Section 10.2). This effect is not taken into account in the boundary conditions used to solve the diffusion equation, and the solution obtained is, therefore, not valid. The resulting error depends on the value of R, and it is very important to minimize this resis-tance, by proper cell design and by electronic iR compensation. 

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