THE CALORIC EFFECT OF ADSORPTION AT THE ELECTRIFIED METAL ELECTROLYTE INTERFACE

A thermodynamic treatment of the polarizable metal/electrolyte interface is presented and generalizes the classical electro-capillary equation, which interrelates variations in interfacial tension, cell potential, and solution composition, to include temperature changes. The result can be used in investigations of the structure of electrified interfaces; for example, in the calculation of entropy changes which occur in the solvent layer adjacent to the metal surface (inner or Stern layer) and, in particular, in the study of phase transitions in insoluble organic monolayers adsorbed at an electrochemical interface. (C) 1995 American Institute of Physics.