Quartz crystal impedance response of nonhomogenous composite electrodes in contact with liquids.

A new model of quartz-crystal impedance (QCI) of nonuniform layers composed of bumps of carbon particles (either porous or nonporous) and a polymeric binder layer has been proposed. The solid particles are modeled by semispherical and oblate semispheroid bumps embedded into the "sea" of a polymeric binder layer. On the basis of this model and elaborating on the principles of hydrodynamic spectroscopy of composite electrode materials, the geometric and porous structure parameters of nanoporous carbon and nonporous graphite composite electrodes in contact with liquids have been reliably determined. This work is believed to create a solid theoretical background for both advanced studies and optimized formulations of the composite electrodes suited to practical electrochemical devices and for the interpretation of the processes of ions and solvent insertion into nanoporous carbon electrodes uniquely probed by the QCI method (supercapacitive cells, desalination membranes).