Electrochemical and mass variation behaviour of rhodium oxide electrodes prepared by the polymeric precursor method

Abstract This paper describes an investigation of the charging processes of Rh 2 O 3 electrodes in acidic medium using Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance. The Rh 2 O 3 was prepared by the Pechini method. The microstructural characterization of the rhodium oxide was performed using Scanning Electron Microscopy and the structure was determined by X-ray diffraction. The Rh 2 O 3 oxidizes at potentials higher than 0.8 V. A mass loss of 60 ng was observed during the anodic sweep. The same amount is gained during the cathodic sweep indicating that the process is reversible. From the mass versus charge plots a slope of 8.5 g mol −1 is calculated. Considering a process that involves a two-electron transfer, the oxidation of Rh 2 O 3 to RhO 2 with the loss of a water molecule (18 g mol −1 ) is proposed.