Electrochemical permeability measurements of hydrophilic and hydrophobizedmontmorillonite films, I.

In the first part of our electrochemical (cyclic voltammetric) study of mon tmorillonite-modified electrodes, results about film permeability have been presented. The structure of the porous aerogel-hydrogel and the effect of layer-thickness have been discussed. The kinetics of the hydration-dehydrat ion, swelling-shrinking ("break-in / leach-out") processes and the effect o f hydrophobization were demonstrated, too. The rate constants of structure- dependent macro- and microdiffusion have been calculated, and - to best of our knowledge - this cyclic voltammetric determination of rate constants of the elementary processes in the course of leach-out is unique in the liter ature.