Contribution from the ion-exchange factor to the potential of a copper-containing electron-ion exchanger

Abstract

The process of formation of the electrode potential of EI-21 electron-ion exchanger, composed of ultrafine copper particles and KU-23 sulfocationite, was studied. The potentials of a EI-21 powdery electrode with a platinum lead in copper(II) sulfate solutions of various concentrations (0.005–1.0 M) were measured using currentless-mode potentiometry. The potential of this electrode first shifted by 0.02–0.15 V in the negative direction with respect to a compact copper electrode, after which the shift eventually decreased to −0.010 ± 0.003 V. It was demonstrated that the time evolution of the potential is determined by the interplay of electron and ion exchange. When EI-21 is placed onto a platinum lead, the role of the potential-determining reaction passes from Cu2+ + e− ⇄ Cu+ to Cu2+ + 2e− ⇄ Cu. At the same time, H+-Cu2+ ion exchange gives rise to a change in the ratio of the concentration of copper(II) ions in the internal and external solutions. The Donnan potential, which arises at the boundary between the electron-ion exchanger and the external solution, maintains a high concentration of copper(II) ions in the internal solution, a factor that facilitates the recrystallization of the particle distributed over the bulk of the exchanger. The process of recrystallization slows down with time to such an extent that the electrode potential stops changing, remaining at a level close to the equilibrium potential of the Cu2+/Cu pair. It was concluded that the internal stability of the system makes the potential of the EI-21 electrode sensitive to the dispersity of the metal component and the concentration of potential-determining metal ions in the external solution.