Electrolyte conductivity

The aim here is to present the properties, characteristics, mechanisms and applications of electrical conduction, focusing on a class of materials known as electrolytes. Electrical conduction in this type of material is always associated with macroscopic movements of one or more types of ions, making it possible for an electric current to flow. There are also materials, known as mixed conduction materials, which simultaneously exhibit significant movements of ions and electrons, but here we will only deal with ionic conductors, which are strictly or virtually electronically insulating.

Electrolyte materials are at the heart of any electrochemical system, and in particular they are an essential component of electrochemical generators or industrial process cells, or a key element in the corrosion of many metals. Electrochemistry always involves the assembly of electrically conductive materials of different natures, typically by bringing a metal into contact with an electrolyte. The unique properties of these materials are due to their particular interfaces, the study of which is at the heart of electrochemistry. However, the conductive properties of bulk materials, away from the interfaces, are also important for analyzing, characterizing and optimizing electrochemical systems. In particular, it is these conductive properties which, together with the geometrical characteristics of the electrolyte used, govern the magnitude of the term known as ohmic drop, which accompanies the passage of a current through any material and is also at the origin of the Joule effect phenomena.