in a previous question relating to this topic here in ResearchGate, Dr. @Angel Cuesta, gave the following, very clear, explanation:
The Tafel slope simply tells you how much you have to increase the overpotential to increase the reaction rate by a factor ten. This will be determined by the magnitude of the change in the activation energy for a given increase in overpotential (when you change your potential 1 V, the Gibbs energy of the process will change by 1 eV per electron transferred, but the activation energy will only change by a fraction of this, and this fraction determines the Tafel slope). In a reaction involving only one step with one electron transfer, the Tafel slope will be determined by the symmetry factor, which is usually 0.5 (corresponding to a Tafel slope of 120 mV). In a more complex reaction involving several steps and several electron transfers, the Tafel slope will be determined by the rate-determining step and by the number and nature (i.e., involving an electron transfer or not) of the preceding steps. So, essentially, from the Tafel slope you can deduce whether your rate-determining step involves an electron transfer or not, as well as the number of electrochemical (involving an electron transfer) and chemical (not involving an electron transfer) steps that precede it. If you propose a reaction mechanism, you can calculate what the corresponding Tafel slope should be and, if it does not coincide with the experimental one, the mechanism cannot be correct.
For more details, you can have also a look at the following notes:
-Tafel Plot and Evans Diagram
By Palm Sens
Available at: https://www.palmsenscorrosion.com/knowledgebase/tafel-plot-and-evans-diagram/
- Quantitative Corrosion Theory
By Gamry
Available at: https://www.gamry.com/Framework%20Help/HTML5%20-%20Tripane%20-%20Audience%20A/Content/DC/Introduction_to_DC_Corrosion/Quantitative%20Corrosion%20Theory.htm
in a previous question relating to this topic here in ResearchGate, Dr. @Angel Cuesta, gave the following, very clear, explanation:
The Tafel slope simply tells you how much you have to increase the overpotential to increase the reaction rate by a factor ten. This will be determined by the magnitude of the change in the activation energy for a given increase in overpotential (when you change your potential 1 V, the Gibbs energy of the process will change by 1 eV per electron transferred, but the activation energy will only change by a fraction of this, and this fraction determines the Tafel slope). In a reaction involving only one step with one electron transfer, the Tafel slope will be determined by the symmetry factor, which is usually 0.5 (corresponding to a Tafel slope of 120 mV). In a more complex reaction involving several steps and several electron transfers, the Tafel slope will be determined by the rate-determining step and by the number and nature (i.e., involving an electron transfer or not) of the preceding steps. So, essentially, from the Tafel slope you can deduce whether your rate-determining step involves an electron transfer or not, as well as the number of electrochemical (involving an electron transfer) and chemical (not involving an electron transfer) steps that precede it. If you propose a reaction mechanism, you can calculate what the corresponding Tafel slope should be and, if it does not coincide with the experimental one, the mechanism cannot be correct.
For more details, you can have also a look at the following notes:
-Tafel Plot and Evans Diagram
By Palm Sens
Available at: https://www.palmsenscorrosion.com/knowledgebase/tafel-plot-and-evans-diagram/
- Quantitative Corrosion Theory
By Gamry
Available at: https://www.gamry.com/Framework%20Help/HTML5%20-%20Tripane%20-%20Audience%20A/Content/DC/Introduction_to_DC_Corrosion/Quantitative%20Corrosion%20Theory.htm
The unit of the Tafel constant is either mV/decade or V/decade. A decade of current is one order of magnitude. Tafel constants are used to calculate corrosion rates from polarization resistance data.