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9: The Nernst Equation and Pourbaix Diagrams

  • Page ID
    8226
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    Learning Objectives

    On completion of this TLP you should:

    • Introduce and explain the basic ideas of electrochemistry, including electrochemical potentials, half cell reactions and equilibria.
    • Describe the mechanisms of aqueous corrosion
    • Derive the Nernst equation and show how it can be used to derive Pourbaix diagrams.
    • Explain the information contained in a Pourbaix diagram, and demonstrate how this can be used to predict corrosion behaviour.

    Before you start

    This TLP is largely self-explanatory, but a basic knowledge of logarithms and thermodynamics may be of some help. A general introduction to relevant thermodynamics can be found here.


    This page titled 9: The Nernst Equation and Pourbaix Diagrams is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Dissemination of IT for the Promotion of Materials Science (DoITPoMS) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.

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