Physical insights of salt transfer through solvent polymeric membranes by means of electrochemical methods

• Published in: Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP 2010-10, Vol.12 (4), p.13296-1333
• Main Authors: Molina, Ángela, Ortuño, Joaquín A, Serna, Carmen, Torralba, Encarnación
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemistry; Colloidal state and disperse state; Exact sciences and technology; General and physical chemistry; Membranes
• ISSN: 1463-9076; 1463-9084
• DOI: 10.1039/c0cp00272k

A combined voltammetric study of the joint transfer of the two constituting ions of a water-soluble salt has been carried out using normal-pulse voltammetry, linear-sweep voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry in a system with two liquid-liquid polarized interfaces. As a result, we have explained the voltammetric features that allow us to distinguish this uptake from that corresponding to two equally charged ions, in spite of the appearance in both situations of two current peaks with the same sign in both square-wave and linear-sweep voltammograms, and we have found that linear-sweep voltammetry and square-wave voltammetry complement each other excellently. A theoretical comparison with a system of a single polarized interface has also been made, showing that these systems are much less appropriate for characterizing these salt-ion transfers. The voltammetric features of the transfer of the ions of a water-soluble salt in membrane systems with two polarized liquid-liquid interfaces are demonstrated.