Electrochemical behaviour of a silver electrode in NaOH solutions

Studies of the electrochemistry of metals and alloys are very important fields of scientific and industrial work. The present investigation includes detailed studies on the corrosion and electrochemical behaviour of Ag in aqueous NaOH solutions under various conditions using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and potentiostatic techniques. It was found that the anodic polarization curve of Ag in NaOH solutions is characterized by the occurrence of five anodic peaks (A1-A5). A1 is due to the electroformation of soluble [Ag(OH)2]- complex species, A2 to the electroformation of Ag2O, A3 to nucleation and three dimensional growth of the Ag2O layer, A4 to the formation of AgO, and A5 presumably to the formation of Ag2O3. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the existence of passive Ag2O and AgO layers on the electrode surface potentiodynamically polarized up to oxygen evolution. The cathodic part of the cyclic voltammograms is characterized by the occurrence of an activated anodic peak (A6) corresponding to the electrooxidation of Ag to Ag2O and three cathodic peaks (C1, C2, C2′) corresponding to the electroreduction of AgO to Ag2O and Ag2O to Ag, respectively.