ECHE -789B: SPECIAL TOPICS IN CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING -SPRING 2002
“ELECTROCHEMICAL AND CORROSION
EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES”
Instructor: Dr. Branko N. Popov
Phone 803-777-7314, Fax 803-777-8265
E-mail: popov@engr.sc.edu
Schedule Code:
Meets: Th-Th:, SWGN
Grading
Homework
Two midterms (15% each)
Final Exam
Special project *
40%
30%
20%
10%
*The special project should be approved by Dr.
Branko Popov
Course Objectives:
The objective of this course is to introduce the student to:
 The underlying science of electrochemical and
corrosion techniques.
The special topics are:
 Electro-chemical
thermodynamics
and
electrode
potentials.
 Kinetics of electrode reactions.
 Mass transfer by migration and diffusion
 Voltammetry of reversible and irreversible processes




Controlled potential techniques
Controlled current techniques
Techniques based on concept of impendence
Modern electrochemical techniques applied in
corrosion rate determinations
 Industrial electrolysis processes
Experiments: Each student will be required to
complete 6 of the following experiments:
 Electrochemical Dc techniques: (1) cyclic
voltammetry, (2) voltage step method, (3) cyclic
potentiostatic method, (4) galvanostatic method
 Alternating current methods: (1) faradic
impendence method, (2)faradic distortion method
(the use of second harmonics), (3) electrochemical
impedance spectroscopy.
 Electrochemical DC techniques for corrosion rate
determinations: (1) potentiodynamic technique,
(2) polarization resistance technique, (3) cyclic
polarization, (4) Tafel.
 Determination of cycle life of batteries and
capacitors
Special Projects: (1) statistical analysis of corrosion
data, (2) corrosion protection design for reinforcing
steel in concrete, (3) design of cathodic protection
system for buried structures, (4) design of sacrificial
anode protection system for structures, (5)
modeling of inhibition mechanism of organic
inhibitors, (6) modeling of degree of delamination of
organic coatings on steel-simulation of circuit
analog models, (7) modeling of hydrogen diffusivity
in metals, (8) modeling of electrodeposition of alloys
and composites.
Textbooks and Notes
1. A. J. Bard and L. R. Faulkner, “Electrochemical
Methods-Fundamentals and Applications,” John
Wiley & Sons, 1980.
2. Denny A. Jones, “Principles and Prevention of
Corrosion,” Macmillian Pub. Co., New York,
1995.
3. B. N. Popov and R. E. White, “Electrochemical
and Corrosion Experimental Techniques,” Notes
USC, 1995.
ECHE 789B
SCHEDULE FOR EXPERIMENTAL WORK
EXPERIMENT
1. POTENTIOMETRY
2. CONDUCTOMETRY
3. TAFEL TECHNIQUES
4. ELECTROCHEMICAL CORROSION TECH.





Linear Polarization
Potentiodynamic Method
Galvanostatic Method
Potentiostatic Method
Cyclic Polarization
5. HYDROGEN PERMEATION TECH.
6. ELECTROCH.. IMPEDANCE SPEC. (EIS)
 Basic/Equivalent Cicuits/Mathemathical Model
 Evaluation of Organic Coatings
7. CYCLIC VOLTAMMETRY
8. CHRONOPOTENTIOMTTERY
9. SPECIAL PROJECTS
DATE
TOPICS
1. Equilibrium Electrode Potentials
 (1.1) Thermodynamic expression for EMF
and EP, (1.2) International Convention, (1.3)
Classification of Electrodes, (1.4) Electrodes
of the first kind, (1.5) Electrodes of the
second kind, (1.6) Redox electrodes, (1.7)
Standard electrode potentials, (1.9) Types of
electrochemical systems, Concentration
cells. (1.0)
 Potentiomtery
2. Conductivity
 (2.1) Electrochemical cell equivalent circuit,
(2.2) Measurement of solution resistance,
(2.3) Molar conductivity, (2.4) Ionic
Conductivity, (2.5) Transference Numbers,
(2.6) Ionic Motilities, (2.7) Theoretical
treatment
of
conductivity,
(2.8)
Conductance Applications
 Conductometry
3. Kinetics of Electrode Processes
 (3.1) Basic Concepts, (3.2) The EMF of
polarization, (3.3) Electrode Polarization,
(3.4)
Classification
of
Polarization
Phenomena, (3.5) Faraday’s Law, (3.6)
Concentration Polarization, (3.7) The
Theory of Diffusion overpotential covering
convective diffusion, (3.8) The polarization
method, (3.9) Method of investigation, (3.1a)
Preparations of solutions and electrodes for
electrochemical studies
 Tafel Techniques
4. The process of hydrogen evolution and
Hydrogen Permeation
 (4.1) General desorption of the process, (4.2)
Dependence of hydrogen overpotential on
current density and electrode material, (4.3)
Effect of solution nature and composition on
hydrogen overpotential, (4.4) The effect of
temperature and some other factors, (4.5)
Possible steps and paths for the cathodic
hydrogen
evolution
reaction,
(4.6)
Electrochemical
overpotential
in
the
hydrogen evolution reaction, (4.7) The
 chemical reaction overpotential in hydrogen
evolution, (4.8) The nature of Hydrogen
overpotential on different metals.
 Hydrogen Permeation into metals
5. Electrochemical corrosion of metals
 (5.1) General description of corrosion
process, (5.2) Classification of corrosion
process, (5.3) Conditions of occurrence of a
corrosion process, (5.4) The kinetics theory
of corrosion and its application to pure
metals, (5.5) Corrosion of technical metals,
(5.6) Methods of corrosion protection.
 Linear Polarization
 Potentiodynamic Method
 Galvanostatic Method
 Potentiostatic Method
 Cyclic Polarization
6. Voltammetry of Reversible Systems
 (6.1) Solution of Diffusion equation, (6.2)
Current-potential curves, (6.3) Diffusion
layer thickness.
 Cyclic Voltammetry
7. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
 (7.1) Basics of electrochemical impedance,
(7.2) Equivalent circuits, (7.3) Bode plot,
(7.4) Nyquist plot, (7.5) Randles plot, (7.6)
Admittance plot
 Techniques based on concept of impedance
8. Chronopotentiometry
 (8.1) Initial and boundary conditions, (8.2)
Variation of the concentrations, (8.3)
Potential-time curves, (8.4) Sand Equation,
(8.5) Potential-time for totally irreversible
process,
(8.6)
Two
consecutive
electrochemical reactions involving different
substances,
(8.7)
Stepwise
Electrode
Processes-The Boundary value problem,
(8.8) cathodic process followed by anodic
oxidation, (8.9) Transition time for the
reoxidation process.
 Galvanostatic
Technique/Chronopotentiometry