Critical time of the convective instability emergence in electrochemical systems

Abstract

The theory of the convective instability emergence in a metal–metal ion electrochemical system in the presence of excess indifferent electrolyte during the transition period after imposing the potential difference, when the distribution of ion concentrations in the space between two plane horizontal electrodes alters, is developed. An equation for a quantitative determination of the critical time, after which, under the action of random small perturbations of concentration, hydrodynamic velocity, or potential, an instability occurs in the system, leading to the emergence of natural convection and the formation of nonequilibrium dissipative structures, is derived.