title: Application of ultrasound in electrochemistry. An overview of mechanisms and design of experimental arrangement.
abstract: An overview of possible mechanisms by which sonication can influence electrochemical processes is given. Four mechanisms are discussed: – acoustic streaming; – microstreaming and turbulence due to cavitation; – formation of microjets in the course of collapse of cavitation bubble; – shock waves; and possible effects are illustrated on several examples. The most effective process is formation of microjets,which can not only decrease diffusion layer thickness under 1 lm, but also activate (depassivate) electrode surface. Design of experimental arrangement with maximum participation of microjets is proposed. Two approaches are proposed: – focusing of ultrasound on the working electrode and reduction of energy losses by over-pressure; – ‘‘tuning” the reactor to obtain resonance, i.e. formation of stationary waves by activating reactor in itsresonant mode.
authors.affiliation: J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Dolejškova 3, 182 23 Prague 8, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Klima