In this article, we present a second-law thermodynamic analysis of an electrochemical model that describes the electrooxidation of an organic substance. The primary objective is to compare the entropy production rates under steady-state and sustained oscillation conditions. To conduct this study, we established the model parameters' values, including the equilibrium electrochemical potentials. This allows one operating parameter of the electrochemical circuit to function as a dynamic bifurcation parameter. Under galvanostatic operating conditions, the applied external current shifts the working electrode potential from a steady state to a sustained oscillation regime, passing through a damped oscillation phase. Our results indicate that entropy generation characterizes the electrochemical model's various operating regimes. Notably, the average value of this second-law thermodynamic quantity is consistently higher during sustained oscillation states. This study allows further investigation into fuel cells' energy efficiency utilizing small organic molecules, such as formic acid or methanol.
Barragán et al. (Thu,) studied this question.