Desorption Rates at Electrode/Electrolyte Interfaces

A recently proposed theoretical approach using classical stochastic diffusion theory (CSDT) to predict desorption rates from solid surfaces is generalized to treat desorption of a particle from a solid surface into a liquid phase. Such systems are characterized by large friction constants resulting in a strong dependence of the desorption rate on the microscopic parameters of the liquid (e.g., solvent self-diffusion constant). The dependence of desorption on the different microscopic parameters of the system is examined. Based on these results, we propose electrochemical measurements which can be combined with the CSDT method to obtain microscopic information on the particle-surface interaction potentials at the solid/liquid interface.