Preparation and Properties of Embeddable Ag/AgCl Gelling Reference Electrode for Rebars Corrosion Monitoring in Concrete

Reference electrodes are a key part for corrosion monitoring and measurement of rebars in concrete. A reference electrode that can be buried in concrete is fabricated by using Ag/AgCl electrode and methyl cellulose gelling electrolyte. The stability, repeatability and anti-polarization of the reference electrode are investigated; the influences of the inner electrolyte loss, exterior OH? contamination, and temperature on the potential of the reference electrode are also investigated in this paper. The results show that the reference electrode has good stability, repeatability, and anti- polarization. The influences of inner electrolyte loss, exterior OH? contamination, and temperature on the potential of the reference electrode are minimal. Therefore, it can be used for corrosion monitoring and measurement of rebars in concrete.