Thermal memory effects at the Pt ∣ YSZ interface

Abstract A current induced activation mechanism in the oxygen reaction on the Pt ∣ YSZ interface at 1000 °C is demonstrated by impedance measurements. It is shown that Pt point electrodes conditioned at high temperature retain their initial reactivity when cooled to 600 °C. At this temperature, the relative rate of the activation/deactivation mechanism is reduced considerably and the electrode stability is sufficient for kinetic studies.