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Effects of mercury on the surfaces of polycrystalline copper, tin and zinc

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Abstract

Interfacial capacitance measurements have been used to study the effects of mercury on diamond polished copper, tin and zinc surfaces in 10M KOH. In the case of copper, microgram quantities of mercury were sufficient to inhibit the adsorption of hydrogen and reduce the surface heterogeneity. In contradistinction to copper, similar concentrations of mercury were found to increase the heterogeneity of tin and zinc surfaces. A decrease in surface heterogeneity for zinc was only observed at very high mercury concentrations. The increased surface heterogeneity is thought to arise from dissolution at the intercrystalline grain boundaries by mercury.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Ever Ready Co. (G.B.) Ltd., London, UK

    R. Barnard

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  1. R. Barnard
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Barnard, R. Effects of mercury on the surfaces of polycrystalline copper, tin and zinc. J Appl Electrochem 3, 17–22 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01119462

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