Papers by Author: N. Potkonjak

Abstract: This work presents the current oscillation phenomena observed in an electrochemical Cu/0.5 M CF3COOH system. The dynamical response of this new oscillator was followed by both current density-potential (j-E) and current density-time (j-t) curves. The current oscillation phenomena of the investigated system were monitored over various potential scan rates and constant applied potentials as control parameters. The increase of potential scan rate significantly decreases both the potential range of current oscillations and the frequency of oscillations. At the j-t curves both the simple and the complex (period adding) oscillations were found. Moreover, with the increase of applied potential, the increase of period of oscillations and current oscillation amplitudes were observed. It appears that the period of current oscillations exponentially grows with applied potential.

Abstract: The exchange current density and the peak current density of the hydrogen electrode reaction on LmNi3.55Co0.75Mn0.4Al0.3 alloy electrode in an aqueous 1M KOH solution, at low hydrogen contents (<0.1 H/M) and elevated temperatures (42-60°C), were studied using potentiostatic polarization techniques. Both measured quantities increased linearly with the increase in hydrogen content in the alloy. On the basis of the difference between the activation energy of the charge transfer and the hydrogen diffusion, it was concluded that the charge transfer reaction represented the rate-determining step of the hydrogen electrode reaction under applied experimental conditions. The decrease of each of these two activation energies with increasing hydrogen content was evidenced, which indicated the existence of other processes occurring in the electrode bulk accompanying the hydrogen diffusion.