CY7450 : Structure and Dynamics of Electrochemical Interfaces
Physical Chemistry
Equilibrium properties of charged interfaces; Metal/Electrolyte interface: Models for interfacial organisation of ions and dipoles; Solvent structure at interface; Phenomenological and microscopic models for dipolar polarization; Recent theories and their limitations; Cooper – Harrison catastrophe; Unified description of electrical double layer; Jellium models and their refinements; Influence of metal surface on differential capacitance.
Statistical mechanics of adsorption; Ising models; Variation of work function with surface coverages; ionic and dipolar adsorption isotherms; partial charge transfer; electrosorption valency and chemisorption.
Chemically modified electrodes: Nature of modifications of electrode surfaces – Applications in batteries, biosensors etc charge transfer through film covered electrodes – elucidation of mechanism of electrocatalysis – Saveiant zone diagram – electron hopping and diffusion coefficient – Redox capacity.
Non steady state electrochemical techniques: Need for transient analysis; Different types of diffusion; planar; cylindrical etc; Mathematical formalism; diffusion equations; choice of initial and boundary conditions; Laplace transform method of solutions; potential step perturbation; chronopotentiometry, Linear Sweep Voltammetry; Reversible and irreversible charge transfer schemes.
References:
W. Schmickler and D.Henderson, Progress in Surface Science, 22 323 (1986).
F.Silva (Ed) Trends in interfacial Electrochemistry, NATO ASI series, 1987.
