(Continued from November, 1955 issue)
5. Potentials of Active Cathodes and Anodes. The potential of an electrode carrying a current usually differs from its potential when no current is flowing. This constitutes the so-called phenomenon of electrode polarization (cathodic polarization renders the electrode more negative while anodic polarization causes it to become more positive).
Figure 59 shows polarization curves for anodic and cathodic polarization presenting the changes in potentials of the two electrodes I and II as a function of current density ID. The potential of the electrodes when no current is flowing is taken as the zero point on the axis of the abscissa. This is the original potential of the electrode which, depending on conditions, may be either reversible or irreversible. To the right of the zero point are plotted the values of the potential occurring during cathodic polarization, i.e., for the case when...
