The Laboratory of Physical Electrochemistry has been founded in 2004 in the Frumkin Institute of Electrochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences. It incorporated three laboratories: Laboratory of Electrochemistry of Metals and Semiconductors (led by prof. A.D. Davydov), Laboratory of Theoretical Research (led by prof A.M. Kuznetsov and prof. L.I. Krishtalik) and Laboratory of Electrochemical Transducers (led by prof. B.M. Grafov). For many years (prior to integration) all three laboratories worked in a collaborative effort of theorists and experimentalists, aimed at systematic validation of new theoretical concepts by experimental data and in turn, the experiments put forward new theoretical problems.

The eldest one, - Laboratory of Electrochemistry of Metals and Semiconductors became a foundation of Laboratory of Physical Electrochemistry. Its history dates back to 1946, when a Division of Electrochemistry (academician A.N. Frumkin) was formed within the Institute of Physical Chemistry. Back then it was comprised of two laboratories: the Laboratory of Electrochemical Kinetics (led by academician A.N. Frumkin) and the Laboratory of Electrode Processes in Power Sources (later renamed into Laboratory of Electrochemistry of Metals, prof. B.N. Kabanov).

In the Kabanov’s Laboratory, the studies on the electrochemical kinetics, power sources, corrosion and protection of metals, and theory of metal passivity were performed. Research on lead batteries yielded some important results. In the works devoted to the anodic dissolution and passivity of iron, adsorption passivity of iron was experimentally proved; it was proposed that the metal dissolution proceeds in stages, and a dual role of hydroxyl was revealed. An important role of electrolyte anions in the anodic dissolution of metals was found out. New data on the mechanisms of passivation and activation of light metals – aluminum and magnesium – were obtained.

B.N. Kabanov was a coauthor of the world’s first book on the electrochemical kinetics (A.N. Frumkin, V.S. Bagotsky, Z.A. Iofa, B.N. Kabanov “Kinetics of electrode processes”, Moscow: Moscow State University, 1952), which became the main textbook for several generations of Russian electrochemists. The Institute of Electrochemistry under the leadership of A.N. Frumkin had its inception in 1958 based on the Department of Electrochemistry, Institute of Physical Chemistry, USSR Academy of Sciences.

In a new Institute, the laboratory of B.N. Kabanov was given the title “Laboratory of Electrochemistry of Metals” and, since 1971, “Laboratory of Electrochemistry of Metals and Semiconductors”. The field of research was flourishing.

In 1960s, Yu.V. Pleskov started his works on the electrochemistry of semiconductors. As a result, a concept of structure of electrical double layer on germanium electrode was developed. More recently, these works have transformed into the study of photoelectrochemical conversion of solar energy in the cells with semiconductor electrodes. Yu.V. Pleskov and coworkers were also involved in the study of photoemission of electrodes from metal and semiconductor electrodes into the electrolyte solutions.

The study of electrical double layer on solid metals and cathodic incorporation of alkali metals into solid electrodes with the formation of solid solutions and intermetallic compounds with cathode metal was started in 1950s and continued up to the late 1970s by B.N. Kabanov.

In 1960s – 1980s, a complex of experimental studies of high-rate electrochemical dissolution of various metals and alloys was conducted. The experimental regularities enabled to reveal the mechanisms of high-rate metal dissolution and develop the methods for enhancing the metal dissolution localization (A.D. Davydov). These works, along with the developing the theory of high-rate electrochemical shaping, made available a high level of electrochemical machining in Russia.

In 1988, A.D. Davydov became the Head of Laboratory of Electrochemistry of Metals and Semiconductors.

In recent years, a new area of electrochemical material science – the electrochemistry of synthetic diamond - has been developed in the Laboratory. It was inspired by the pioneer paper of Yu.V. Pleskov and coworkers published in 1987. The essential idea was to combine the remarkable chemical stability and corrosion resistance of diamond with a high conductivity, which is imparted to diamond by alloying with small amounts of acceptor additive.

Considerable advances have been made in the theory of ionic transfer in the electrochemical systems (A.D. Davydov, V.S. Krylov, G. Engelhardt, A.P. Grigin, V.M. Volgin, D.A. Bograchev). In 1970s – 2000s, several problems of ionic transfer were solved and many electrochemical systems were theoretically analyzed in regard to diffusion, migration, and convection. The analysis was performed for the multicomponent solutions containing ions with different charges and diffusion coefficients, taking into account the concentration dependences of transport properties of solutions in the steady-state and non-steady-state electrical conditions. The theory of natural-convective instability in the electrochemical systems was developed (V.M. Volgin, A.D. Davydov, A.P. Grigin). The effects of centrifugal and magnetic fields on the mass transfer in the electrochemical systems were studied.

In recent years, the quantum-mechanical theory of electron tunneling in the bridge electrochemical nanocontacts has been advanced (A.M. Kuznetsov, I.G. Medvedev).

The works on the theoretic analysis of charge transfer in several biological objects, in particular, the photosynthesis systems, are in progress (L.I. Krishtalik).

The works on the theory of electrochemical impedance and its application in the design of electrochemical transducers and other devices, the theory of electrochemical noise, measurements and analysis of noise for various practical implementations are continued (B.M. Grafov).

The studies on metal corrosion are conducted (A.D. Davydov and coworkers).