Accessing the Inaccessible: Analyzing the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in the Diffusion Limit

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is one of the key processes in electrocatalysis. In this communication, the ORR is studied using a rotating disk electrode (RDE). In conventional work, this method limits the potential region where kinetic (mass transport free) reaction rates can be determined to a narrow range. Here, we applied a new approach, which allows us to analyze the ORR rates in the diffusion-limited potential region of high mass transport. Thus, for the first time, the effect of anion adsorption on the ORR can be studied at such potentials.