What is the impact of flow dynamics and intermittency in electrolysis ⚡ ? We studied the local pH near a millimeter-sized electrode element, mimicking a wire in a mesh electrode or a particle in a suspension electrode. With Fluorescence Lifetime Image Microscopy (FLIM), we can map the local pH in time (2 Hz) and space (9 um resolution), for different flow conditions and intermittent current supply. We observe that the flow rate determines the wake behind this electrode element, while the current density has more impact on the surface pH. More surprising, we saw that the pH profiles around the electrode element are asymmetric (depending on the position of the other electrode) and that the Faradaic reaction continues slowly (for tens of seconds!) after the current supply was interrupted, driven by discharging the capacitance of the electrode surface. The paper led by Nathalie van der Plas-Ligthart and Julius Sommer is out now in Chemical Engineering Journal - read all about it! Congratulations on this nice work – Nathalie, Julius, Jorrit Bleeker, Lorenz Baumgartner, Johan Padding and David Vermaas 🥳 Find the paper here: https://lnkd.in/ezhm2YNs
