Comparative Study of the Bulk and Foil Zinc Anodic Behavior Kinetics in Oxalic Acid Aqueous Solutions

TL;DR

This study compares how zinc foil and bulk electrodes behave electrochemically in oxalic acid solutions, revealing differences in their anodic performance influenced by temperature and material orientation.

Contribution

The novel contribution is the discovery of temperature-dependent contrasting induction period trends between zinc foil and bulk electrodes.

Findings

The induction period duration for foil electrodes increased with temperature, while it decreased for bulk electrodes.

SEM and ICP-OES analysis revealed distinct anodic behaviors linked to crystallographic orientation.

XRD confirmed that anodic behavior depends on the crystallographic orientation of the zinc electrodes.

Abstract

The anodic behavior of zinc electrodes is important for energy storage, corrosion protection, electrochemical processing, and other practical applications. This study investigates the anodic galvanostatic polarization of zinc foil and bulk electrodes in aqueous oxalic acid solutions, revealing significant differences in their electrochemical behavior, particularly in induction period durations. The induction period’s duration depended on electrolyte concentration, current density, and temperature. Notably, the temperature dependence of the kinetics exhibited contrasting trends: the induction period for foil electrodes increased with temperature, while that of bulk electrodes decreased. Chemical analysis and polishing treatment comparisons showed no significant differences between the foil and bulk electrodes. However, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observations of samples anodized at different temperatures, combined with Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) analysis of dissolved electrode material, provided insights into the distinct anodic behaviors. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) studies further confirmed these findings, revealing a crystallographic orientation dependence of the anodic behavior. These results provide detailed information about the electrochemical properties of zinc electrodes, with implications for optimizing their performance in various applications.

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