Adsorption of polyethylene glycol on platinum electrode from acidic solutions

The effect of the molecular mass of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on its adsorption on platinized platinum from aqueous solutions of 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 1 M HCl is studied using the methods of open-circuit potential shifts and voltammetry. In sulfuric acid solutions, the PEG adsorption is accompanied by dehydrogenation and hydrogenation processes, which probably involve the terminal groups of polymers. For PEG with the molecular mass of 600–40000, the established stationary surface states turn out to be close to one another. Anions Cl^? inhibit the PEG adsorption and electrooxidation. The adsorption behavior of PEG samples studied substantially differs from that of ethylene glycol under comparable conditions.