Solid film at the anode influences the process of polyvalent metal electrorefining: theoretical bifurcation analysis of the problem

A theoretical study of polyvalent metal anodic electrorefining has been carried out, and the decisive influence of surface film on the long-term process has been shown. A mathematical model of the long-term continuous electrorefining process in the form of non-linear differential equations is proposed. The developed model was investigated by the methods of the bifurcation theory. The model predicts the following types of electrolytic system: 1. The low-valence compound of the anodic film does not form. 2. A steady-state process with a stationary thickness of the anodic deposit. 3. An unlimited accumulation of low-valence compounds at the anode. 4. An unstable steady state: a bifurcation with a transition to case 3 or to the regime of undamped oscillations. The model provides satisfactory explanations of the experimental results related to long-term continuous electrorefining processes in molten salts. Received: 19 February 1997 / Accepted: 18 August 1997     

Isothermal equilibrium adsorption of concanavalin A on dextran-modified poly(methyl methacrylate) latex particles

Isothermal equilibrium adsorption experiments were carried out to study the adsorption of concanavalin A (Con A) on dextran-modified poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) latex particles. Three PMMA particles with various levels of dextran modification were selected for study: 0% (designated as D0), 1.24% (D20), and 2.45% (D75) based on total polymer weight. The Langmuir model is applicable to both D0 and D20 systems, although the data for the D20 system are somewhat scattered. On the other hand, the amount of Con A adsorbed per gram polymer particles (q*) versus the Con A concentration in water (c*) curve for the D75 system cannot be described by the Langmuir model. The deviation is attributed to the formation of a crosslinked network structure, caused by specific binding of the dimeric Con A molecules onto two neighboring particles with grafted dextran. The ratio of the initial number of Con A molecules to the initial number of active binding sites on the dextran-modified particle surface plays an important role in determining the structure of flocs formed. The maximum amount of Con A adsorbed on the particle surface (q _max) is of the order of 10⁻¹ μmol per gram particles and q _max in decreasing order is D75 > D20 > D0. The dissociation constant of the Con A-D20 (or Con A-D75) pair is of the order of 10⁻¹ μmol dm⁻³ which is 1 order of magnitude smaller than that of the Con A-D0 pair. Thus, the electrostatic interaction between Con A and D0 is much weaker than the affinity interaction between Con A and D20 (or D75). An empirical model is proposed to qualitatively explain the q* versus c* data. Received: 18 June 1998 Accepted in revised form: 24 December 1998     

Study of Thin Films of High Temperature Superconductors Based on YBaCuO by EPMA

 An analytical model of an effective atomic number, Z _eff, for simultaneous calculation of composition and thickness of films on substrates that allows for backscattering processes is presented. Comparison of dependencies of ϕ(ρz) parameters for film elements on electron beam energy, on atomic numbers of a film and a substrate and on film thickness was done. The errors inherent in EPMA have been determined by comparing experimental data obtained on YBa₂Cu₃O_7−x bulk crystals with model calculations. Possibility of EPMA as an effective technique for investigation of spatially inhomogeneous objects was demonstrated by studying the correlation between composition and local superconducting properties (values of critical temperature and critical current) of these films.     

Paramagnetic pyrrole-based semiconductor molecular material

The electrochemical oxidation of hexa-N-pyrrolylbenzene in organic media leads, via intramolecular coupling of the pyrrole residues, to the deposition of a molecular semiconductor film on an electrode surface. In situ electron spin resonance–electrochemical experiments reveal that the semiconductor is endowed with both properties of conducting polymers (i.e., reversible oxidation) and polyaromatic molecular materials (i.e., highly paramagnetic). The material, which is easy to process as soft homogeneous thin film, shows a tunable 0 to 1 spin concentration per molecule at room temperature by controlling the electrochemical potential. Contribution to the Fall Meeting of the European Materials Research Society, Symposium D: 9th International Symposium on the Electrochemical–Chemical Reactivity of Metastable Materials, Warsaw, 17th–21st September, 2007. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Barrier and semiconducting properties of thin anodic films on chromium in an acid solution

The study of barrier and semiconducting properties of anodically formed oxide films on chromium in an acid solution was carried out using the Cr-quartz crystal electrode. The oxide film formation and growth occur through an anion vacancies transport via a low-field-assisted mechanism (H = 10⁶ V cm⁻¹). The anion diffusion coefficient, which quantitatively describes the transport of point defects within the growing film, was calculated from capacitance data using the Nernst-Planck equation for low-field limit approximation and Mott-Schottky analysis. The depletion region in the passive film, close to the film|electrolyte interface, dominates the semiconducting properties. The passive film on Cr in an acid solution behaves as an n-type semiconductor. An energy-band structure model of the passive film is given.     

Peculiarities of the surface crystallization of sodium chloride on mucin films

It is established that the two-dimensional crystallization of sodium chloride on the surface of a biopolymer film (film of a glycoprotein, mucin), which is used as a template, gives rise to the formation of crystals with unusual morphology—in particular, dendrites. This type of crystallization is observed in two cases—namely, when drying a film formed from a salt-containing mucin dispersion and when drying a salt solution droplet on the surface of a dry mucin film obtained from a salt-free mucin dispersion. Mechanisms leading to unusual salt crystallization are discussed, and the role of specific interactions of sodium chloride with mucin is shown.     

The effect of external and internal diffusion on the sorption of radioactive ions by reactive cloth filter: Part I

In this study, a new mathematical model was suggested to account for the effect of internal and external diffusion on fluid–solid noncatalytic reactions. The special features of this model are the combination of the transport processes and the chemical reaction kinetics with the added factor due to the structural properties of the solid reactant. The model was examined theoretically and experimentally. A reactive cloth filter that separates radionuclides from radioactive waste solutions is used as a practical application for the model. Analyses of the respective rate data in accordance with another two theoretical models showed that process is controlled by the rate of the diffusion step. The external and internal mass transfer constants across the liquid film and the resin matrix were determined from the graphical representation of the proposed model. The practical validation with the theoretical results offered satisfactory agreement at most of the process stages.     

Interfacial dilational rheological property and lamella stability of branched alkyl benzene sulfonates solutions

The dynamic dilational properties of branched alkyl benzene sulfonates at the air–water and decane–water interfaces were investigated by drop shape analysis, and their lamella stability was measured. The influences of time, dilational frequency, and bulk concentration on surface dilational elasticity and dilational viscosity were expounded. The results show that the molecular interaction controls the nature of adsorption film during lower concentration range and the film behaves elastic in nature. During higher concentration range, the diffusion-exchange process controls the dynamic dilational properties and the surface film shows remarkable viscoelasticity. An increase in hydrophobic chain length enhances the molecular interaction, which results in the increase of dilational parameters and lamella stability. The data correlation suggests that the ability to form a stable lamella is linked to the intrinsic surface dilational elasticity.     

Modelling the formation and growth of anodic passive films on metals in concentrated acid solutions

Two model approaches to the formation of passive films as adsorbed layers during the active anodic dissolution of a metal in acid and their subsequent growth are presented. The first depicts passivation as proceeding in parallel to active dissolution. Adsorption of water on active surface sites leads to passivation, whereas adsorption of acid leads to active dissolution of the metal. The model is consistent with the impedance response during passivation of Fe and an Fe-20%Mo alloy in concentrated H₃PO₄. The second model is an updated version of the so-called surface charge approach to the mechanism of conduction of anodic passive films. It is based on the assumptions that oxygen vacancies are the main ionic charge carriers and the field strength in the barrier layer is constant. A negative surface charge built up at the film/solution interface via accumulation of metal vacancies accelerates oxygen vacancy transport, thus explaining the pseudoinductive behaviour of the metal/film/electrolyte system under small amplitude a.c. perturbation. The model describes the growth of thin anodic films on Fe, Mo and an Fe-20%Mo alloy in concentrated H₃PO₄. Received: 24 January 1997 / Accepted: 18 April 1997     

Immobilization of nickel-dipicolinic acid onto a glassy carbon electrode modified with bimetallic Au-Pt inorganic-organic hybrid nanocomposite: Application to micromolar detection of fructose

This work describes the electrochemical behavior of nickel-dipicolinic acid (Ni-DPA) film immobilized on the surface of bimetallic Au-Pt inorganic-organic hybrid nanocomposite glassy carbon electrode and its electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of fructose. The electrode possesses a three-dimensional (3D) porous network nano architecture, in which the bimetallic Au-Pt serving as metal nano-particle based microelectrode ensembles are distributed in the matrix of interlaced 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) organic nanofibers (NFs). The surface structure and composition of the sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrocatalytic oxidation of fructose on the surface of modified electrode was investigated with cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry methods and the results show that the Ni-DPA film displays excellent electrochemical catalytic activities towards fructose oxidation. The hydrodynamic amperometry at rotating modified electrode at constant potential versus reference electrode was used for detection of fructose. Under optimized conditions the calibration plots are linear in the concentration range 0.5 to 70 μM and detection limit was found to be 0.1 μM.     

Effect of alkyl chain length on the surface dilational rheological and foam properties of N-acyltaurate amphiphiles

The dynamic dilational properties of sodium 2-(2-(alkylaryloxy)-alkylamido)ethanesulfonates (12+nB-Ts) at the air–water interfaces were investigated by drop shape analysis, and their foam properties were also measured. The influences of time and bulk concentration on surface dilational properties were expounded. The results show that the molecular interaction controls the nature of adsorption film during lower concentration range, and the film behaves elastic in nature. During higher concentration range, the diffusion exchange process controls the dynamic dilational properties and the surface film shows remarkable viscoelasticity. An increase in hydrophobic chain length enhances the molecular interaction at low concentration and speeds up the diffusion exchange process at high concentration, which results in the different variations of modulus at different concentration regions. For 12+nB-Ts, too short a chain probably produces bad film elasticity, whereas too great a length produces too fast liquid drainage. Therefore the optimal length in the branched chain leads to the best foam stability.     

Dual-polarization interferometry for quantification of small molecules using aptamers

An interferometry-based method was developed for detection of a small molecule, argininamide. The quantification of argininamide was demonstrated using aptamers immobilized on silicone oxynitride sensor surface via avidin–biotin binding. The aptamers formed a thin film over avidin layer corresponding to a thickness of 1.2 nm, consistent with a molecular positioning of multipoint attachment to the surface. The binding of argininamide did not cause any significant changes in the thickness of the aptamer film, suggesting that the specific binding did not affect the overall conformation of the aptamer molecules after adaptive rearrangement of aptamer molecules. However, the binding results in clearly detectable changes in mass calculated from multiple parameters determined by mass deposition and structural changes. The limit of detection of the developed sensor was determined to be 5 μM. The sensor can monitor real-time changes in argininamide concentrations with high reliability and sensitivity. The model system demonstrated that a combined measurement considering structural and mass changes through interferometry-based techniques can overcome one of the major problems associated with real-time monitoring of small mass analytes.     

Refinement of the Theory of Electrodissolution of Difficultly-Soluble Compounds from Metal Surfaces: Taking into Account Nonuniform Film Thickness Along the Electrode Surface

An equation that describes the electrodissolution of a film of a difficultly-soluble compound from the surface of metallic electrode during a linear potential scan is derived and solved numerically. The model accounts for a nonuniform deposit distribution over the electrode surface and for the diffusion of the deposit particles through the film. Voltammograms for the compound electroreduction display peaks whose shape is dependent on the deposit distribution over thickness. The obtained results are analyzed.     

Effect of hydrostatic extrusion on passivity breakdown on 303 austenitic stainless steel in chloride solution

The stability of the passive film formed on austenitic 303 stainless steel in the as-received state and after severe plastic deformation by hydrostatic extrusion (HE) leading to nanostructurization was investigated in an aggressive environment containing Cl⁻ ions by anodic polarization. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and stereological image analysis were used to examine structural changes introduced by HE. Surface analytical techniques such as light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and scanning Auger microscopy (SAM) were used to characterize the morphology, grain size, and chemistry of the surface, including local characterization of nonmetallic inclusions and their surface before and after HE. SAM analysis revealed discontinuities of the passive oxide film on MnS inclusions. TEM and scanning transmission electron microscopy examinations confirm a drastic reduction of grain size accompanied by a distinct refinement of the size of sulfide inclusions in the HE matrix. These changes in the HE 303 stainless steel are apparently responsible for its reduced pitting resistance compared to the as-received material. Contribution to the Fall Meeting of the European Materials Research Society, Symposium D: 9th International Symposium on Electrochemical–Chemical Reactivity of Metastable Materials, Warsaw, 17th–21st September, 2007.     

Preparation of Alumina Aerogel Films by Low Temperature CO2 Supercritical Drying Process

Alumina aerogel thin films were formed by a new synthesis route. Sols were prepared by the Yoldas process. Gels were formed by sol evaporation in a few hours. Films were prepared by dip coating glass or alumina substrates into both the sols and the gels. Aerogel films with special morphology were produced for the first time by exchanging the film solvent with acetone after the dip coating, followed by supercritical drying. The morphology of the films, studied by SEM and TEM, consists of fiber-like network of round chains (≈0.1 μm thick), and pores (0.1–0.5 μm in diameter). It is shown that the fibers contain a homogeneous arrangement of sol particles, 2–4 nm in size. Formation of this microstructure can be attributed to phase separation in the alumina-water-acetone system in a 2D film geometry. A conceptual model for the film development is proposed.     

Theoretical study of the diffusion of alkali metals on a Cu(111) surface

We present a theoretical study of the diffusion of Li, Na and K on a Cu(111) surface. Various diffusional paths are identified and characterized in terms of kinetic parameters such as diffusion constants and activation energies. We use a model potential parametrized from DFT calculations to determine adsorption energies, surface corrugation and diffusional behaviors. Two representations of the copper surface (2D and 3D) are used to investigate its effect on the adsorption patterns, diffusion constants and activation energies. An interesting result is that the adsorption pattern for Na and K changes when adding layers of substrate (2D → 3D) favouring unusual adsorption sites, which is in agreement with recent theoretical evidence.     

Electrodeposition of a poorly soluble compound on the surface of indifferent and metal electrodes under conditions of stripping voltammetry

The formation of a film of a poorly soluble compound at the surface of metal and indifferent electrodes during the determination of anions and ions of variable valence by stripping voltammetry was considered. A model of the process involves several steps and akes into account the movement of the film-solution interface and the mass transfer through the film. Equations were derived for the estimation of determination limits and the linear portion in theq(c) curve suitable for analytical purposes. Presented at the V All-Russian Conference with the Participation of CIS Countries on Electrochemical Methods of Analysis (EMA-99), Moscow, December 6–8, 1999.     

Application of a novel electrosynthesized polydopamine-imprinted film to the capacitive sensing of nicotine

The application of novel electrosynthesized polydopamine (PDA)-imprinted film as a recognition element for the capacitive sensing of nicotine is reported. The PDA-imprinted film was electropolymerized directly on the gold electrode surface in the presence of nicotine without an additional self-assembled thiol sublayer. The compact PDA film has various functional groups that aid the imprinting procedure. Furthermore, the film shows good capacitive response since it is insulating in nature and ultrathin. The sensor’s linear response range for nicotine was between 1–25 μmol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 0.5 μmol L⁻¹. The proposed molecularly imprinted polymer capacitive (MIPC) sensor exhibited good selectivity for nicotine. The reproducibility and repeatability of the MIPC senor were all found to be satisfactory. The results from sample analysis confirmed the applicability of the MIPC sensor to quantitative analysis.     

Electrochemical Deposition of Gold Metal Particles into 3‐Dimensional Polypyrrole Film Deposited on a Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite

Electrochemical techniques and lateral friction microscopy (LFM) are exploited to characterize the deposition of gold metal particles onto the 3‐dimensional (3‐D) polypyrrole (PPy) film deposited on 2‐dimensional (2‐D) highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate surface in an aqueous solution involving 0.01 M pyrrole and 0.1 M LiClO₄? 3H₂O. Cyclic voltammetry is utilized to find the gold deposition potential onto the PPy film from 0.001 M KAu(CN)₂/KOH solution. The gold deposition potential is found to be in the range of ?1.2 V to ?1.4 V. Chronoamperometry is used to find out the nucleation and growth mechanism of gold metal particles onto PPy film. When the PPy film is thin, the mechanism follows the 3‐D instantaneous and moved towards 3‐D progressive as the film thickness increases. Considering the high resistance of thick PPy film and insulating and compact nature of the film at more cathodic potentials, it is suggested that the gold nuclei are formed first on the HOPG substrate surface, move to the PPy film surface and then distributed inside the PPy matrix. Since the friction of gold and the PPy film is different, the LFM is found to be an effective tool to see the distribution of gold particles in the domain boundaries of the PPy film.     

Electrochemical Characterisation of Copper Thin‐Film Formation on Polycrystalline Platinum

Electrochemically formed thin films are vital for a broad range of applications in virtually every field of modern science and technology. Understanding the film formation process could provide a means to aid the characterisation and control of film properties. Herein, we present a fundamental approach that combines two well‐established analytical techniques (namely, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and electrogravimetry) with a theoretical approach to provide physico‐chemical information on the electrode/electrolyte interface during film formation. This approach allows the monitoring of local and overall surface kinetic parameters with time to enable an evaluation of the different modes of film formation. This monitoring is independent of surface area and surface concentrations of electroactive species and so may allow current computational methods to calculate these parameters and provide a deeper physical understanding of the electrodeposition of new bulk phases. The ability of this method to characterise 3D phase growth in situ in more detail than that obtained by conventional approaches is demonstrated through the study of a model system, namely, Cu bulk‐phase deposition on a Pt electrode covered with a Cu atomic layer (Cu_ad/Pt).