Abstract
The anodic passivation of lithium in flowing alkaline electrolytes was studied chronopotentiometrically. The experimental results reveal that the passivation follows the classical diffusion‐limited process. An empirical relationship similar to the Sand equation, but including a term for the critical current, 
, is observed
A theoretical model of the dissolving lithium anode has been formulated to explain the dependence of the time to passivation, 
, on the experimental variables. This model involves the diffusion of the soluble species through a fixed porous solid layer on the electrode surface and through the electrolyte diffusion layer. The assumption made for the initial boundary condition requires the existence at OCV of a concentration gradient within the porous oxide layer. It has led to an analytical solution which can successfully represent the 
relationship for metals in highly corrosive media.