Kinetics of viscoelasticity in the electric double layer following steps in the electrode potential studied by a fast electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM)

Changes in the viscoelasticity of the electric double layer following steps in electrode potential were studied with an electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). The overtone scaling was the same as in gravimetry (-Δf/n≈ const with Δf the frequency shift and n the overtone order). Changes in half-bandwidth were smaller than changes in frequency. This Sauerbrey-type behaviour can be explained with either adsorption/desorption or with changes of the (Newtonian) viscosity of the diffuse double layer. While the QCM data alone cannot distinguish between these two processes, independent information supports the explanation in terms of double layer viscosity. Firstly, the magnitudes of the frequency response correlated with the expected changes of the viscosity-density product in the diffuse double layer. With regard to viscosity, these expectations are based on the viscosity B-coefficients as employed in the Jones-Dole equation. Expected changes in density were estimated from the densities of the respective salts. Secondly, the explanation in terms of liquid-like response matches the kinetic data. The response times of frequency and bandwidth were similar to the response times of the charge as determined with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Rearrangements in the Helmholtz layer should have been slower, given this layer’s rigidity. Kinetic information obtained with a QCM can aid the understanding of processes at the electrode-electrolyte interface.