The Electrified Interface

Abstract

The situation inside an electrolyte---the ionic aspect of electrochemistry---has been considered in the first volume. The basic phenomena involve ion-solvent interactions (Chapter 2), ion-ion interactions (Chapter 3), and the random walk of ions, which becomes a drift in a preferred direction under the influence of a concentration or a potential gradient (Chapter 4). In what way is the situation at the electrode-electrolyte interface any different from that in the bulk of the electrolyte? To answer this question, one must treat quiescent (equilibrium) and active (nonequilibrium) interfaces, the structural and electrical characteristics of the interface, the rates and mechanism of change-over from ionic to electronic conduction, etc. In short, one is led into electrodics, the newest and most exciting part of electrochemistry.