DIGITAL-SIMULATION OF ELECTROCHEMICAL PROCESSES BY THE NETWORK APPROACH

The network approach has been used to simulate chronoamperometric reaction schemes. In this method the spatial variable in the diffusion kinetic equations is discretized, but the time variable remains continuous. This allows the mathematical model to be described by a network model and its simulation can then be carried out by a suitable electric simulation routine without having to deal explicitly with the differential equations. Thus it is not necessary to consider either numerical or computational aspects. Moreover, this method is not limited by the complexity of the processes occurring in the system and we can solve problems of mathematical complexity by an efficient graphical method and at a moderate cost in computer time. Network models for reversible electron transfer and for the ECE mechanism at a planar electrode have been used to obtain currents and concentrations from numerical simulations by means of the computer program PSPICE. The accuracy of the network model and its digital simulation have also been considered.