CHEM 555, Electroanalytical chemistry

Spring 2003

The following are the events scheduled for the class. Some require time to prepare. Plan accordingly, so that you are ready.

CHEM 555, Electroanalytical chemistry Spring 2003   

Class schedule: Tuesday and Thursday, 15:30-16:45, FW 201

Dr. Petr Vanýsek, Instructor, FW 418, e-mail: pvanysek¤niu.edu, ph.: 815-753-6876

Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 14:00-15:00 or by appointment

Textbooks:    A. J. Bard and L. R. Faulkner: Electrochemical methods: Fundamentals and applications. 2nd Edition, Wiley, New York 2001.  (Note that there exists also the first edition form 1980. It lacks the recent methods, but the fundamentals are still strong.)

Recommended book:  P. A. Christensen, Techniques and mechanisms in electrochemistry. Chapman and Hall, 1994

Supplementary material: Oldham and Myland, Fundamentals of Electrochemical Science, Academic press 1994; Bockris and Khan: Surface Electrochemistry, Plenum 1993. , W. Schmickler, Interfacial Electrochemistry, Oxford University Press 1996. Bockris and Reddy: Modern Electrochemistry. Plenum (There is the first editin and then the second printing, rather updated.) Some other books or chapters will be recommended during the course and perhaps fair-use copies of relevant material will be distributed.

Topics to be covered sequentially throughout the semester

1. Place of electrochemistry in modern science, history of electrochemistry
2. Concepts of electricity, electronics, equilibria in solutions
3. Thermodynamics in electrochemistry, kinetics
4. Mass transfer by diffusion and migration
5. Potential step methods
6. Potential sweep method
7. Cyclic voltammetry
8. Controlled current and hydrodynamic techniques
9. Impedance measurements
10. Bulk electrolysis
11. Kinetics of electrode processes
12. Structure of the double-layer
13. Electrochemical instrumentation
14. Scanning probe techniques
15. Spectrometric and photochemical experiments

Grading:

Term Paper/Class presentation 25%

    (The components of the paper are: Facts; Treatment of the subject; Style; Spelling, grammar, language. Each of the four compnents is assigned 25 points.)

Midterm 37.5%

Final 37.5 %

100-85 % - A, 85 - 75 % - B, 75 -65 % - C, 65 - 55 % - D, less than 55% - F

The midterm and the final will be "open notes" examinations. You will be allowed to bring your notes, both from the class and from your studies. You can include in your notes a few pages of copies of tables, etc. You are not allowed to bring your textbook, hence, you cannot have a copy of your textbook in your notes.

Calculators: Essentially any kind is allowed, with the excpetion of a device that would hold large part of the textbook. You cannot use external data retrieval (such as wireless web connection. The exam work is your own work. you cannot communicate with others -- cell phones and similar devices must be turned off.

Possible research topics:

15. Electrochemistry and environment

16. Micromachining and microfabrication (must have electrochemical aspects)

17. Electrochemical detection in HPLC

18. Spectroelectrochemistry

19. Fuel cells: Low temperature, high temperature

20. Modern electrochemical power sources (emphasis on metal hydride and lithium batteries, primary or secondary).

21. Mechanistic studies using electrochemistry

22. Neutron diffraction, X-ray scattering and other high technology methods in electrochemistry.

23. Any other topic that you find interesting and for which you receve my approval.

Note that some of these topics were available and therefore previously reported. If you happen to have a copy of the previous report, resist the temptation and do not pick the same topic. It would guide you too much in your project.