PHENOMENOLOGICAL ASPECTS RELATED TO THE ELECTROCHEMICAL-BEHAVIOR OF SMOOTH PALLADIUM ELECTRODES IN ALKALINE-SOLUTIONS

The voltammetric behaviour of smooth palladium electrodes in 1 M NaOH is studied in the potential range related to the thermodynamic stability of water. The electrosorption of H atoms on bulk Pd appears as a reversible reaction coupled to a diffusion process which occurs within bulk Pd. The voltammetric electrodesorption of H from bulk Pd is a process under mixed control, i.e. the diffusion from the bulk and the surface oxidation of H atoms. Fast pseudocapacitive reactions are detected in the range 0.2-0.4 V associated with the adsorption of H atoms at the submonolayer level. The initial stages of Pd oxide layer formation, at ca. 0.68 V, involves two reversible stages. The Pd oxide monolayer formation is achieved at 1.25 V/RHE and is followed by the formation of a third reversible system. This system is enhanced by an excursion in the potential range of the oxygen evolution reaction. This reversible system is probably a redox system involving Pd(II)/Pd(IV) species. The voltammetric electroreduction of the Pd oxide film shows rather irreversible behaviour. Inhibition effects on the reversible adsorption of H atoms due to residual oxide species were observed as well as inhibition on loading the Pd electrode with hydrogen to form the (alpha+beta)-PdH phase. Rotating ring-disc experiments demonstrate that Pd electrodissolution in basic solutions is much smaller than in acid solutions. However, soluble palladium species are detected, especially during the formation of the fast redox systems, in the potential range related to Pd oxide layer growth.