Electrochemistry in Flames

Abstract

Flames and combustion science are well established fields having contributed to the foundations of engineering and chemistry and led to remarkable achievements in our ‘industrial age’. The aim of this paper, however, is to highlight the electrochemical properties of flames, which are known to a lesser extent. First a historical account on the study on flames is given, followed by a general discussion on the formation and properties of common flames. The core of the discussion deals with the presence of charged species in flames, or else their plasma nature. It is this property that allows us to treat flames as conductive media and even develop flame electrochemical systems that yield voltages in the same fashion as standard batteries. Due to their very interesting plasma properties, therefore, flames can be incorporated with already developed electrochemical methodologies and generate new research areas of great potential.