Electrical double layer on liquid Bi-Ga alloys in aqueous solutions

Double-layer characteristics of a liquid bismuth-gallium electrode are studied in aqueous electrolyte solutions. Based on the results obtained it is shown that Bi in an alloy with Ga is a surface-active component and forced out to the electrode surface layer. For electrode charges q less than or equal to -5 muC/cm(2), the double layer characteristics of Bi-Ga electrodes approach those of a bismuth electrode. Thus, with respect to its electrochemical properties, a Bi-Ga electrode containing 0.25 at. % Bi simulates a liquid bismuth electrode. The "corrected electrochemical work function" is determined for bismuth. The close values of the difference of zero-charge potentials on mercury and bismuth in water and the difference of corrected electrochemical work functions" for these metals points to the very low hydrophilicity of the Bi-Ga electrode, which approaches the value for mercury at negative electrode potentials. Taking into account that the Bi-Ga electrode displays no semimetallic properties, the similarity of the electric double layer (EDL) parameters for the Bi-Ga alloy and solid pure Bi indicates that the semimetallic properties of bismuth make no contribution to the EDL characteristics of the alloy in the studied range of negative charges q less than or equal to -5 muC/cm(2).