Bubble trouble : quantifying the effects of bubbles on the electrochemical interface

Logar, Anja (author), Kozlica, Dževad (author), Vodeb, Ožbej (author), Gaberšček, Miran (author), Hodnik, Nejc (author), Strmčnik, Dušan (author)

The accumulation of electrochemically produced bubbles is inevitable in gas-evolving reactions and can induce potential losses by theoretically increasing activation, concentration, and ohmic overpotentials. These effects are often either overstated or completely neglected in the literature, which complicates the accurate analysis of experimental results for gas evolution reactions. This study systematically identifies and quantifies the overpotential losses induced by bubbles by combining experimental results for hydrogen (HER) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER), obtained using the rotating disk electrode (RDE) technique, with simulations based on a two-dimensional transmission line model. Our results show that ohmic overpotential is the primary cause of apparent activity loss due to bubbles in RDE. This effect leads to catalyst activity misestimates exceeding 2 orders of magnitude, and Tafel slope errors of 100% at higher currents if left uncorrected. By identifying these effects, this work provides a robust framework for mitigating inaccuracies and improving the characterization of electrocatalysts for gas evolution reactions.

• Language: English
• Keywords: oxygen evolution reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, bubbles, rotating disk electrode, uncompensated resistance, electrical properties, evolution reactions, polarization, radiology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 6380–6385
• Numbering: Vol. 15, iss. 8
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-169071
• UDC: 544.5/.6
• ISSN on article: 2155-5435
• DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.5c00144
• COBISS.SI-ID: 234585603
• Publication date in RUL: 09.05.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: ACS catalysis
• Shortened title: ACS catal.
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 2155-5435
• COBISS.SI-ID: 518529817

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: elektrokemija, reakcije, sproščanje, vodik, kisik