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Updated: May 13, 2026

Electrochemical Roughening of Thin-Film Platinum Macro and Microelectrodes
Published on: June 30, 2019
Cooperative behaviour of Pt microelectrodes during CO bulk electrooxidation
D Alfonso Crespo-Yapur1, Antoine Bonnefont, Rolf Schuster
1Institut de Chimie et Procédés pour l'Energie, l'Environnement et la Santé, UMR 7515, Université de Strasbourg-CNRS-ECPM, 25 rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg, France.
An array of microelectrodes shows cooperative behavior. Increased current leads to spontaneous, sequential activation due to bistable reaction kinetics and global coupling.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Nonlinear Dynamics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Microelectrode arrays are crucial for electrochemical sensing and actuation.
- Understanding cooperative phenomena in such systems is key to advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cooperative behavior in an array of microelectrodes.
- To elucidate the role of bistable reaction kinetics and global coupling in electrode activation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an array of microelectrodes with bistable reaction kinetics.
- Applied global coupling and systematically increased the applied current.
- Observed and analyzed the electrode activation patterns.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated spontaneous sequential activation of microelectrodes.
- Showcased the interplay between bistable kinetics and global coupling.
- Identified a critical current threshold for sequential activation.
Conclusions:
- Cooperative behavior in microelectrode arrays can be engineered through reaction kinetics and coupling.
- Sequential activation offers potential for novel spatiotemporal control in electrochemical systems.
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