A METHOD FOR MEASURING THE EFFECTIVE CONDUCTIVITY OF THE LIQUID-PHASE IN POROUS-ELECTRODES

A technique is presented for obtaining the effective conductivity of the liquid phase in a porous electrode from the polarization response of the electrode, in the presence of a dissolved redox couple whose electrode reaction rate is controlled by convective mass transfer. An analytical solution of the polarization response shows that, for small values of the polarization parameter (II < 0.05), a potential range exists where the square of electrode current density is linear in applied potential, with a slope that is proportional to the effective conductivity. Limits of applicability of the analytical solution and other experimental considerations are discussed. © 1990, The Electrochemical Society, Inc. All rights reserved.