The potential difference needed to drive a reaction
The maximum voltage of a cell
The energy lost as heat
The efficiency of a battery
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What does the term 'overpotential' refer to?
Step 1: Understand that every electrochemical reaction has an equilibrium potential, which is the voltage at which the reaction is balanced and no net reaction occurs.
Step 2: Realize that sometimes, to make the reaction happen faster or to overcome obstacles, we need to apply more voltage than the equilibrium potential.
Step 3: The extra voltage that we apply beyond the equilibrium potential is called 'overpotential'.
Step 4: Overpotential is important because it helps us understand how much extra energy is needed to drive the reaction effectively.
