Developing the self-contained hydrogen reference electrode

A new design of self-contained hydrogen reference electrode is reported. The filling of electrolyte and hydrogen for the electrode can be easily completed in a few minutes without the need for vacuum operation. The hydrogen filling can either be in situ electrolysis or direct gas filling from an external gas source. The potential error is below 3 mV, in most cases below 1 mV, for relatively concentrated acid or alkaline solutions. The electrode can work normally for about a week for a single hydrogen filling. Besides, this electrode can be moved around as conveniently as a calomel electrode. This reference electrode should find wide applications in electrochemical experiments. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.