Abstract
The use of high frequency ultrasound in electrochemical systems is of major interest for the optimisation of electrosynthetic and electroanalytical procedures, especially when the strong mechanical effects of 20 kHz ultrasound are detrimental. The characterisation of a 500 kHz ultrasound reactor for sonoelectrochemical experiments by voltammetric and potentiometric measurements revealed the presence of considerable thermal, as well as mass transport, effects depending on geometric parameters and the material used for the construction of the working electrode. Micromixing and cavitation processes govern the mass transport to and from the electrode surface and are shown by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to cause erosion on the electrode surface. Electrochemically active films of Prussian blue are shown to be gradually removed by cavitation erosion. Degassing the solution prior to sonication increases the efficiency of cavitation processes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 189-197 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Ultrasonics Sonochemistry |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 1999 |
Funding
Financial support from the EPSRC (grant GR/L81123) is gratefully acknowledged. Shelley Wilkins, Marco Fidel Suarez and Sarah Roberts are acknowledged for assistance in AFM and thermoelectrochemical measurements. F.M. thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship and New College (Oxford) for a Stipendiary Lectureship.
Keywords
- Catalyst
- Cavitation
- Frequency effect
- Mass transport
- Micromixing
- Modified electrode
- Prussian blue
- Sonoelectrochemistry
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous)
- Environmental Chemistry
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
- Acoustics and Ultrasonics
- Organic Chemistry
- Inorganic Chemistry