Pneumatochemical impedance spectroscopy. 1. Principles

Pneumatochemical impedance spectroscopy (PIS) is the indirect transposition of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to solid-gas reactions. In PIS analysis, an analogy is made between pressure and electrical potential on one hand and gas flow and electric current on the other hand, and pneumatochemical transfer functions are derived from gas-phase measurements. Potentially, this spectroscopy can be used to analyze the dynamics of any solid-gas system including adsorption (surface) and absorption (bulk) phenomena, gas (H2) permeation across metallic membranes, and electrocatalysis in gaseous fuel cells. Hydrogen absorption by intermetallic compounds (IMCs), a process of great practical interest for hydrogen storage applications, is more specifically considered in this paper, and the kinetic equations derived in this work pertain only to this case. Whereas classical electrochemical impedance measurements are performed using an harmonic analyzer and monochromatic potential (potentiostatic mode) or current (intentiostatic mode) perturbations, PIS investigation of the dynamics of IMC-H2(g) systems is more conveniently performed using Sievert's-type gas distribution apparatus (SGDA) and polychromatic pressure perturbation signals. This is first because monochromatic isothermal pressure modulations cannot be easily obtained experimentally over the frequency domain of interest and, second, because most IMC-H2(g) systems exhibit strongly nonlinear behaviors in two-phase domains (hysteresis), and this proscribes harmonic analysis. A further benefit of using SGDA and nonharmonic perturbations is that kinetic and thermodynamic information are collected simultaneously during the same experiment. The measurement and modeling of the pneumatochemical transfer functions associated with IMC-H2(g) systems, both in solid solution and two-phase domains, are discussed in this paper which is organized in two parts. The principles of PIS analysis, based on the theory of linear and time-invariant systems, are presented in the first part. The dynamics of hydrogen sorption by metals and IMCs is analyzed in the second part, where a detailed analysis of the multistep reaction paths involved in sorption mechanisms is proposed.     

Interfacial properties of precipitate-based ion-selective electrodes : Rotating disk impedance measurements of the Ag2S/Ag (aqueous) interface

Three-electrode rotating disk impedance measurements were made from 31.6 kHz to 0.0178 Hz on Ag₂S/Ag⁺ (aqueous) and Ag₂S/Ag systems. Membranes were prepared from materials precipitated in excess of silver or sulfide ions, and stoichiometric mixtures. Impedances were analyzed, as a function of rotation rate and bathing activities, to isolate bulk conductivities, internal diffusion, surface kinetic and dissolution/crystallization impedances. High-frequency bulk resistivities, R_∞, varied by four with precipitation and pressing conditions. Resistivities were the same for solution and ohmic configurations for each preparation. For ohmic contacts, R_∞ and R(DC) were identical. Solution contact cells in 10^-1 M and 10^-2 M bathing silver ion solution gave identical frequency-dependent impedances which were independent of rotation rate. Thus, solution diffusional impedances and solution dependent surface kinetics were eliminated, and a finite Warburg, interior-Ag⁺-defect, diffusion impedance was indicated. Summation of bulk membrane and contact resistances, and this Warburg impedance served as a 'background' correction in analyzing dilute bathing solution interfacial impedances for surface effects. Corrected impedances in 10^-3 –10^-5 M AgNO₃ showed solution diffusional behaviour combined with surface kinetic and dissolution impedances. An iterative linear least-squares method resolved these quantities. The surface resistance suggests a potential-dependent rate constant; dissolution time constants were solution-independent and smaller than those for solution diffusion. Thus, dissolution can be a rate-limiting step in establishment of steady-state potentials.     

非平衡渗入条件下的电化学渗氢模型

提出非平衡渗入条件下的电化学渗氢数学模型,导出相应的渗氢电流暂态关系式。指出由稳态渗氢电流与试样厚度的关系可得表面渗入过程的动力学参数。讨论了阴极极化条件对氢扩散系数观测值的影响。     

Pneumatochemical impedance spectroscopy. 2. Dynamics of hydrogen sorption by metals

In this paper, pneumatochemical impedance spectroscopy is used to analyze multistep reaction mechanisms such as those observed in solid solution domains of LaNi5-H2(g) systems. It is shown that hydrogen sorption is a two-step mechanism including (i) dissociative surface chemisorption of molecular hydrogen and (ii) atomic hydrogen bulk transport by diffusion. Data fitting of experimental transfer functions with model equations yields the value of the kinetic parameter associated with each individual reaction step, i.e., surface sorption resistances and hydrogen bulk diffusion coefficients. The technique is used to follow the activation procedure of the sample as well as the degradation of sorption properties in oxygen-containing hydrogen atmospheres. A decrease in sorption kinetics is attributed to surface oxidation, whereas bulk properties remain unchanged. The perspectives offered by the technique which potentially can be used to optimize surface and bulk composition of IMC for increased sorption rates are discussed.     

Electrical impedance spectroscopy characterisation of conducting membranes: II. Experimental

An electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method and apparatus that eliminates the need for electrodes in the feed and permeate solutions was evaluated as a means of characterising physical and performance properties of polysulphone ultrafiltration membranes in situ. The membranes were sputter-coated on one side with platinum before assembly in the apparatus. Alternating electrical current used for impedance measurements was injected directly into the coat via dry electrical contacts with the edges of the membrane. As the frequency of the EIS measurement was increased the current increasingly dispersed into the solution via the interfacial region (double layer) and/or fouling layers that the coat formed with the solution. These spatial dispersions manifested as characteristic dispersions with frequency of the impedance of the system. Water flux measurements, field emission scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy were also used to quantify the important membrane performance parameters of porosity and surface roughness. These estimates were in good agreement with the impedance model for the in situ membrane system that was fitted to the measured impedance dispersions. The study shows that EIS measurements potentially can quantify membrane performance parameters in situ better than those techniques that require disruption of the membrane separation process. The method also has the potential for monitoring the deposition of particulate that can lead to fouling.     

Recent topics of transfer hydrogenation

A number of transition metal catalysts have been developed for transfer hydrogenation of organic molecules. This method provides a useful process for the reduction of unsaturated molecules without the need for explosive hydrogen gas. An important development in this area is the design of new ligands that improve activity and selectivity under mild reaction conditions. Polydentate ligands are good candidates for producing high performance metal catalysts. This digest describes recent developments in transfer hydrogenation as well as asymmetric reactions using metal catalysts containing polydentate ligand systems.     

Electrochemical impedance studies of the undoping process of platinum phthalocyanine charge transfer microcrystals

Platinum phthalocyanine (PtPc) microcrystal films undergo three successive electrochemical oxidations. Each of these processes is associated with anion insertion or doping. The reverse process of anion insertion, undoping, has been investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and in-situ UV–vis spectroscopy. The impedance theory of conductive polymer films developed by Vorotyntsev et al. is applicable to this process. The kinetics of the undoping process depend upon the previous oxidative treatment, and thus the doping level. Three different states of the film can be demarcated, depending on the degree of oxidation (and thus the degree of doping) of the PtPc film. These are called the lightly doped, the conductive and the over-doped state, respectively. For lightly doped films, the film conductivity, the redox capacitance, the diffusion coefficient for charge transport and the rate of electrochemical reaction all decrease with decreasing potential. The film conductivity depends upon the concentration of free charge carriers. For the more highly doped conductive film, all of the above parameters are greatly enhanced, and the electrochemical reaction is accelerated and proceeds at a very high rate. The potential dependence of the redox capacitance and the diffusion coefficient depends on the type of anion. During undoping at 0 V, unusually high diffusion coefficients with a magnitude of order 10⁻² cm² s⁻¹ are observed and are attributed to the strong interactions between the electronic and ionic carriers during the phase transformation. For the over-doped film, undoping leads to an increase in the film conductivity and electrochemical reaction rate. The potential dependence of the redox capacitance and diffusion coefficients for charge transport implies strong interactions within the film. Hypsochromic shifts in UV–vis spectra with decreasing potential indicate conformational relaxation during the undoping process. SEM investigation confirms that the doped film swells during the de-doping process.     

A Gerischer phase element in the impedance diagram of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell anode

We study the isothermal hydrogen adsorption and reaction at the E-TEK electrode of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell with a Nafion 117 membrane by impedance spectroscopy at 30 degrees C. We find that the impedance diagram must include a Gerischer phase element. Constant phase elements are not sufficient to describe the experimental data. This means that an adsorption reaction takes place in combination with surface diffusion of hydrogen in the carbon layer located before the platinum surface, separate from the charge transfer step at the platinum particle surface. We are not able to distinguish between molecular or atomic hydrogen diffusion on carbon. We predict and find that the relaxation time of the adsorption step is independent of the applied potential. Water may also enter rate-limiting steps in the electrode reaction, but its role needs further clarification.     

Unusual concentration impedance for catalytic copper deposition

Recently a new mechanism for copper deposition has been proposed by Gabrielli et al. [C. Gabrielli, P. Moçotéguy, H. Perrot, R. Wiart, J. Electroanal. Chem. 572 (2004) 367]. In this mechanism cupric ions are supposed to be reduced by two different paths. The first path is a direct discharge of cupric ions in two steps, and the second follows a parallel path through a catalytic complexation with chloride ions and adsorption of copper (I) chloride onto the copper surface. In the second path, chloride ions are consumed in the first step and produced in the second step, therefore chloride ions act as catalysts. The rates of the two steps of the second path are equal under steady-state condition and the concentration of Cl⁻ anion is constant in the electrolytic solution. In contrast the step rates are not equal under dynamic conditions causing a concentration impedance of chloride ions with a rather unusual expression. Such an impedance is calculated and thoroughly examined in this paper. Finally, decomposition of the Faradaic impedance into the sum of concentration impedances of adsorbed species and chloride ions makes it possible to determine the contribution of each concentration impedance to the global impedance of the electrode.     

The characteristics of component transfer through barrier membrane layers

A uniform matrix with randomly distributed impurity centers, which create an effective field repulsing particles that diffuse in the membrane and prevent the formation of “percolation” paths in “thick” membranes, is considered as a barrier layer model. Two repulsive potential types were analyzed, one decreasing according to a power law depending on the distance between the localization center of an impurity and the diffusing particle and the other decreasing exponentially as a function of this distance. An exponential dependence of the permeability constants of the desired components on the membrane layer thickness was predicted. According to this dependence, the components to be separated effectively pass through membrane layers only in local regions, where the force field that retards particles is weakened because of a fluctuation decrease in the concentration of centers repulsing the diffusing particles. The process is then characterized by nonequilibrium transmembrane transfer conditions, under which particles have time to be effectively “sorbed” only in regions of increased membrane permeability. Under these conditions, the selectivity of membrane separation can be influenced by the state of the surface of membranes. For this reason, the modification of the surface of barrier structures can be used to control their selective permeability to the desired products. Equations for the rate of component transfer through barrier membrane layers under the most general boundary conditions were obtained. These equations can be used to analyze separation on membranes with barrier structures subjected to surface modification.     

尖晶石锂锰氧化物锂离子嵌脱过程的交流阻抗谱研究

用粉末微电极研究了尖晶石锂锰氧化物在不同嵌锂状态下嵌脱锂过程的交流阻 抗图谱，提出了新的等效电路模型。描述锂离子在固体中扩散的Warburg阻抗与累 积或消耗的嵌入电容在Lix MnO4中的x≤0．5时串联，0．5＜x≤1时并联。用提出 的等效电路模型分阶段拟合了实验所得的交流阻抗谱，拟合值与实验值相当吻合， 由拟合结果得到不同电位下锂离子在表面膜中的迁移电阻和电容，界面电荷传递电 阻，双层电容，锂离子在固体中扩散系数和累积或消耗的嵌入电容。     

Voltammetry at partially covered electrodes: Part III. Faradaic impedance measurements at model electrodes

Faradaic, impedances at model electrodes partially covered with a photoresist layer have been studied theoretically and experimentally. Equations for the faradaic impedance are derived based on the theoretical model and approach described in Part I of this series of papers. Experimental data for the hexacyanoferrate system at various model electrodes give excellent agreement, with theoretical predictions for the diffusion impedance behavior, and the applicability of the derived equations to the estimation of the degree of coverage and the size of the active regions is confirmed. Furthermore, the application of such model electrodes to the kinetic study of electrode reactions with high heterogeneous charge transfer rates is suggested.     

Glycerol as solvent and hydrogen donor in transfer hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reactions

Glycerol is employed successfully as a green solvent and hydrogen donor in catalytic transfer hydrogenation-dehydrogenation reactions. The glycerol donates hydrogen to various unsaturated organic compounds under mild reaction conditions and as a solvent, allows easy separation of products and catalyst recycling.     

Role of the cell-wall structure in the retention of bacteria by microfiltration membranes

This experimental study investigates the retention of bacteria by porous membranes. The transfer of bacteria larger than the nominal pore size of microfiltration track-etched membranes has been studied for several kinds of bacterial strains. This unexpected transfer does not correlate to the hydrophobicity, neither to the surface charge of the microorganism, as suggested in previous reports. We conclude that, in our conditions, the kind of bacteria (Gram-positive or Gram-negative) is finally the most important parameter. As the distinction between those two types of bacteria is related to the cell-wall structure, we provide an experimental evidence, via the action of an antibiotic, that the cell-wall flexibility triggers the transfer of the bacteria through artificial membranes, when the pores are smaller in size than the cell.     

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of tethered bilayer membranes

The electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) of tethered bilayer membranes (tBLMs) were analyzed, and the analytical solution for the spectral response of membranes containing natural or artificially introduced defects was derived. The analysis carried out in this work shows that the EIS features of an individual membrane defect cannot be modeled by conventional electrical elements. The primary reason for this is the complex nature of impedance of the submembrane ionic reservoir separating the phospholipid layer and the solid support. We demonstrate that its EIS response, in the case of radially symmetric defects, is described by the Hankel functions of a complex variable. Therefore, neither the impedance of the submembrane reservoir nor the total impedance of tBLMs can be modeled using the conventional elements of the equivalent electrical circuits of interfaces. There are, however, some limiting cases in which the complexity of the EIS response of the submembrane space reduces. In the high frequency limit, the EIS response of a submembrane space that surrounds the defect transforms into a response of a constant phase element (CPE) with the exponent (α) value of 0.5. The onset of this transformation is, beside other parameters, dependent on the defect size. Large-sized defects push the frequency limit lower, therefore, the EIS spectra exhibiting CPE behavior with α ≈ 0.5, can serve as a diagnostic criterion for the presence of such defects. In the low frequency limit, the response is dependent on the density of the defects, and it transforms into the capacitive impedance if the area occupied by a defect is finite. The higher the defect density, the higher the frequency edge at which the onset of the capacitive behavior is observed. Consequently, the presented analysis provides practical tools to evaluate the defect density in tBLMs, which could be utilized in tBLM-based biosensor applications. Alternatively, if the parameters of the defects, e.g., ion channels, such as the diameter and the conductance are known, the EIS data analysis provides a possibility to estimate other physical parameters of the system, such as thickness of the submembrane reservoir and its conductance. Finally, current analysis demonstrates a possibility to discriminate between the situations, in which the membrane defects are evenly distributed or clustered on the surface of tBLMs. Such sensitivity of EIS could be used for elucidation of the mechanisms of interaction between the proteins and the membranes.     

Electrochemical pressure impedance spectroscopy for investigation of mass transfer in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Mass transfer phenomena in membrane fuel cells are complex and diversified because of the presence of complex transport pathways including porous media of very different pore sizes and possible formation of liquid water. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, although allowing valuable information on ohmic phenomena, charge transfer and mass transfer phenomena, may nevertheless appear insufficient below 1 Hz. Use of another variable, that is, back pressure, as an excitation variable for electrochemical pressure impedance spectroscopy is shown here a promising tool for investigations and diagnosis of fuel cells.     

Monitoring stabilizing procedures of archaeological iron using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

A methodology for monitoring washing procedures applied to stabilize archaeological iron is described. It is based on the combination of voltammetry of microparticles (VMP) with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A semi-empirical approach is used where the impedances at low and high frequencies were related with the fraction areas of passive and corrosion layers generated during the stabilizing treatment, the thickness, and the porosity of the corrosion layer. The variation of such parameters with the time of washing was determined from EIS data for four types of desalination procedures using concentrated NaOH and/or Na₂SO₃ aqueous solutions on archaeological iron artifacts. After 2 months of treatment, EIS data indicate that an essentially identical “stable” state was attained in all cases, as confirmed by the formation of a passive magnetite layer identified in VMP measurements while the rate of variation of corroded surface and porosity at short washing times varied significantly from one stabilization procedure to another.     

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkoxycyanobiphenyl thiols on gold--a study of electron transfer reaction using cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of liquid crystalline thiol-terminated alkoxycyanobiphenyl molecules with different alkyl chain lengths on Au surface have been studied for the first time using electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The barrier property of the SAM-modified surfaces was evaluated using two different redox probes, namely potassium ferro/ferri cyanide and hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride. It was found that for short-length alkyl chain thiol (C5) the electron transfer reaction of hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride takes place through tunneling mechanism. In contrast, redox reaction of potassium ferro/ferri cyanide is almost completely blocked by the SAM-modified Au surface. From the impedance data, a surface coverage value of >99.9% was calculated for all the thiol molecules.     

Effect of oxygen-containing functional groups on the impedance behavior of activated carbon-based electric double-layer capacitors

The surface chemistry of activated carbon was treated with sulfuric acid and hydrogen to analyze the oxygen-containing functional groups on the impedance behavior of electric double-layer capacitors. Based on the electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS), an equivalent circuit model was proposed considering the kinetic and charge transfer characteristics, and Marquardt fit procedure was applied to the EIS data. The simulated results indicate that the oxidation treatment made the ionic resistance within the pore of carbon electrode decrease, and the ion diffusion coefficients significantly increase, which leads to improvement of power capability of the carbon electrode.