Hope College Physics Department
Research Experiences for Undergraduates
Summer 2010
Project Summary


Project Title: Characterization of Hydrogen Evolution during Electrodeposition
Student Name: Emily Berger
Student's Home Institution: St. Olaf College
Research Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Hampton
Source of Support:

This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF-REU Grant No. PHY/DMR-1004811 and the Hope College Dean for the Natural and Applied Sciences Office.

During electrodeposition a phenomenon called hydrogen evolution occurs as a potential difference is applied to the working electrode. Hydrogen evolution is the phenomenon of water reducing to hydrogen gas and hydroxide ions. The hydrogen gas forms bubbles on the surface of the working electrode (a gold covered silicon wafer). As the bubbles break free they cause fluctuations in the deposition current with time. A Matlab program was written to analyze the statistics of these current fluctuations. The Matlab data was used to determine the effects of potential, pH, and electrolyte concentration on the bubble formation.
Publications and Presentations:
“Characterization of Hydrogen Evolution during Electrodeposition", Emily N. Berger and Jennifer R. Hampton. Contributed poster, Regional Chemistry REU Symposium, Hope College, Holland MI, (July 30, 2010).