Effect of Particle Size on the Corrosion Behaviour of Gold in the Presence of Chloride Impurities: An EFC-ICP-MS Potentiodynamic Study

A profound understanding of the Au dissolution process is a prerequisite for optimal utilization of Au-based materials. This goes for either increasing the corrosion stability of materials in the sectors where the long-term functionality of Au is needed or decreasing the corrosion stability where the recovery of the Au component is crucial. By employing an extremely sensitive online analytical system, consisting of an electrochemical flow cell coupled to an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, in situ potential-resolved dissolution of Au in the ppb range is enabled. A comparative study of two Au based materials, (i) a polycrystalline Au disk and (ii) carbon-supported Au nanoparticles, is presented. As a probe, chloride ions were used to elucidate the distinct differences in the corrosion behavior of the two analogues.