Article

A multiphysics P2D framework for predicting induced polarization and transport–kinetics coupling in Cu/Zn cells with floating bipolar electrodes

Asokan VasudevanFaculty of Business and Communications, INTI International University, 71800 Negeri Sembilan, MalaysiaSuleiman Ibrahim MohammadINTI International University, 71800 Negeri Sembilan, MalaysiaRahed Abu HammourFaculty of Technical Education, Hourani Center for Applied Scientific Research (HCASR), Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman, JordanTawfeeq AlghazaliNajaf Islamic University, Najaf, IraqRustam TurakulovDepartment of internal medicine in family medicine, Tashkent State Medical University, Tashkent, UzbekistanIbrokhim SapaevDepartment of Physics and Chemistry, Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, National Research University, Tashkent, UzbekistanJasgurpreet Singh ChohanMarwadi University Research Center, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, Marwadi University, Rajkot, Gujarat, IndiaRanveer SinghDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, IndiaPardeep Singh BainsDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Sharda School of Engineering & Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, IndiaMilad SafamaneshYoung Researchers and Elite Club, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2026en

ABI

Abstract

This study develops a coupled multiphysics framework to investigate induced polarization, ionic transport, and interfacial electrochemical kinetics in a modified Cu/Zn cell containing an immersed bipolar electrode. A pseudo-two-dimensional (P2D) model combines charge conservation, Nernst–Planck species transport, and Butler–Volmer kinetics within a fully coupled numerical scheme to resolve spatial variations in electric potential, ionic concentration, and reaction-rate distributions. Following established bipolar-electrochemistry principles, the immersed conductor is treated as an electrically floating electrode whose potential is determined self-consistently by the surrounding electric field and global current balance. The present contribution lies in integrating this treatment with coupled transport–kinetics analysis, geometry-dependent response, and experimentally grounded validation within a unified Cu/Zn configuration. A problem-specific dimensionless reaction–diffusion competition parameter, Π, analogous to established Damköhler-type scaling concepts, is employed to distinguish transport-sufficient, mixed/transition, and transport-stressed regimes according to the balance between Faradaic ionic demand and diffusive replenishment. Point-by-point comparison with discrete electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements across four cell configurations yields a mean absolute percentage error of 4.8%, a root-mean-square error of 1.06 Ω, and R 2 =0.982, with configuration-specific deviations up to 7.1%. These results demonstrate that the framework captures the coupled influence of induced polarization, mass-transport limitations, and electrode configuration with good quantitative fidelity while preserving realistic experiment–model discrepancies. Overall, the model provides a physically consistent platform for mechanistic interpretation and design-oriented analysis of bipolar electrochemical systems employing wireless redox control.

Identifiers

DOI: 10.1016/j.mtcomm.2026.115888

Citations and references

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