Analytical Sciences

An Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Impedance Study on the Rising of an Aqueous Solution Meniscus for a Partially Immersed Gold Electrode during the Electrochemical Reduction of Oxygen

Qingji XIE,  Youyu ZHANG, Xiaoming XIAO, Yanghui GUO, Xiangjun WANG, and Shouzhuo YAO

Chemical Research Institute, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, P. R. China

An electrochemical quartz crystal impedance system (EQCIS) was used to study the resonance behavior of an AT-cut 9-MHz piezoelectric quartz crystal (PQC) with its Au electrode partially immersed in KCl, Na₂SO₄ and NaClO₄ aqueous solutions, respectively. An in situ determination of the immersed area and the height of the electrode was achieved by simultaneous measurements of the PQC electroacoustic admittance and the electrochemical impedance. The rising of the solution meniscus for a gold electrode partially immersed in aqueous solutions was found at oxygen reduction potentials and evaluated versus the electrolyte, electrolyte concentration, solution pH and oxygen concentration. The solution meniscus rising was explained based on a lowering of the contact-angle hysteresis and a continued collection of the water product at the solid-gas-solution interface during oxygen reduction.

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