Electrochemical promotion of heterogeneons catalysis

The catalytic activity and selectivity of metals interfaced with solid elec trolytes can be altered dramatically and reversibly via potential applicati on. The increase in catalytic rate can be several orders of magnitude highe r than that anticipated from Faraday's Law. This new phenomenon of electroc hemical promotion is of considerable theoretical and potentially practical importance in heterogeneous catalysis. In this paper the main phenomenologi cal features of electrochemical promotion (or NEMCA effect) are surveyed an d the origin of the effect is discussed in view of recent surface spectrosc opic and quantum mechanical studies. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.