  We investigate the effect of adsorption-desorption phenomenon of ions in an
asymmetric electrolytic cell at open circuit conditions. Our approach is based
on the Poisson-Nernst-Planck theory for electrolytes and the kinetic model of
Langmuir for the description of adsorption-desorption phenomena on the
electrodes. When the electrodes are immersed into the solution, selective ion
adsorption takes place. It is shown, that the selective ion adsorption is
responsible for generating an electrical potential difference between the
electrodes of the cell. The analytical expressions for the potential difference
and for the charge distribution are calculated. Finally, the time evolution of
the system is investigated and the relaxation times of the problem are deduced
numerically.
