Bi element is included within various complex oxides, in high transition-temperature superconductors BiSrCaCuO, or in manganese dioxide as in rechargeable battery material, for example. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] It more or less modifies the properties of the material. For instance, the various species of Mn(IV) oxides are rechargeable when the deep discharge is lower than 0.5 faradays (Ᏺ) per Mn atom, [13][14][15][16][17][18] but when Bi atoms are included, they become electrochemically reversible for deep discharge higher than 1.5 Ᏺ/Mn. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] It is interesting to know the interaction between Bi atoms and the metal atom of the matrix host through the eventual modifications of the redox potential. In order to have references for comparison, Bi 2 O 3 and its derivatives have been studied using the usual composite electrodes, also called graphite or carbon paste electrodes. 19,20 These electrode devices do not allow scanning at a rate higher than a few millivolts per second. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the kinetic features of the electrochemical processes. The cavity microelectrode (CME) has been recently invented for studying a very small amount of powder material (10 Ϫ7 to 10 Ϫ8 g). 21,22 It allows for reaching scan rates up to a few tens of volts per seconds. 23,24 This paper is devoted to both the description and direct analysis of results obtained for Bi 2 O 3 and Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 by means of the CME.
ExperimentalMaterial and physicochemical characterization.-Bi 2 O 3 is obtained by precipitation of 1 M Bi(NO 3 ) 3 solution in 1 M KOH at room temperature. The solid is filtered, washed with distilled water, and dried at 80ЊC. It is stored at room temperature in a closed bottle. After a storage of several years, the product is fully carbonated giving Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 as determined by elemental analysis and by X-ray diffraction (XRD). A specific area is measured by means of a device from Coulter, type SA3100.CME and optical control devices.-The CME (Fig. 1a) is made of a glass tube (diam glass : 5 to 6 mm, total length, ᐉ tot : 80 to 150 mm) containing a Pt wire (diam pt : 25 to 50 m, length 3 cm) which ends near the bottom of the glass tube thus providing a cylindrical cavity (Fig. 1b). This cavity is obtained by controlled dissolution of the platinum wire in a highly concentrated HCl ϩ HNO 3 solution. The connection between the Pt wire and the copper wire col-lector is achieved by embedding the end of the two wires in graphite powder. The diameter pt and the deepness h c of the microcavity is measured by a microscope (Olympus BX30