Electric field assisted hydrogen fluoride etching of silica

Abstract

The influence of electric fields on the velocity of the chemical reaction 4HF+SiO 2 →SiF 4 +2H 2 O in aqueous solution is investigated experimentally. The field strengths used were high enough to measure nonlinear effects. The results permit a critical analysis of a theoretical model known in literature. The basic idea of dipole orientation changing the rate of the primary step of the chemical reaction can explain the experimental data, but several important details of the original model had to be changed. The primary step involves two hydrogen fluoride (HF) molecules rather than one, and field screening by mobile ions has a significant influence causing nonlinear effects. The fact that field screening plays an important role implies that electric field-assisted HF etching of silica may by used as an instrument for measuring ion concentrations in highly concentrated electrolytes. The data measured may be well described by a theoretical model based on mean field approximations. The results give an insight into the structure of highly concentrated hydrofluoric acid and also permit a critical analysis of applications of the effect in measuring electric fields written in glass samples by electrothermal poling. The effect may also be used for shaping glass surfaces.