Potentiostatic Current-Potential Measurements on Iron and Platinum Electrodes in High-Purity Closed Alkaline Systems

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Potentiostatic polarization curves were determined for Fe, Pt, and combinations of Fe and Pt electrodes in and solutions saturated with helium. With the high‐purity, gas‐tight system used, the level of reactable impurities was reduced to about 10−6 ppm. Under these conditions the primary reactions are, depending on potential, the oxidation or reduction of OH− and water. Iron does not significantly corrode or show a decrease in reaction rate with an increase in potential (passivate). Iron with its surface layer acts like an inert noble metal similar to platinum. Chloride ion causes extensive iron corrosion and completely changes the potentiostatic polarization behavior and does cause typical passive behavior. Under high‐purity conditions, iron is an excellent catalyst for the hydrogen oxidation reaction; the presence of chloride ion, however, almost completely destroys the catalytic properties of Fe for this reaction. Unreactable and unremovable impurities such as carbonate, silicate, sulfate, etc., apparently do not have major effects on the polarization behavior of Fe. The major anion, OH−, appears to dominate the inert anion effects.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: