A Dissolution-Redeposition Mechanism for the Roughening of Platinum Electrodes by Cyclic Potential Programs

Abstract

Rotating platinum disk‐gold ring and platinum disk‐platinum ring electrodes were used to study the roughening of platinum produced by a triangular wave potential program. The rate of roughening was found to decrease with increasing rotation speed and/or decreasing potential scan rate. The amount of soluble platinum collected on the gold ring electrode during the roughening process increased with angular velocity. The data obtained are consistent with a mechanism in which soluble platinum produced during both the anodic and cathodic disk potential scans is redeposited on the electrode surface at cathodic potentials.