Q:

Does an electric field create a pH gradient?

Since pH is a measure of the effective concentration of $\mathrm{H}^+$ ions a solution, I expect that an electric field applied to a solution will create a pH gradient. The higher concentration of $\mathrm{H}^+$ ions (corresponding to lower pH) should be close to the anion, and a lower concentration of $\mathrm{H}^+$ ions (corresponding to higher pH) should be closer to the cation.
This is a simple yes or no question. Does an electric field create a pH gradient as I described above? (If not, can you please provide an explanation?)

A:

Yes, applying an electric field does create a pH gradient and in fact you can observe this simply by adding a suitable indicator to your system. For example see the section Demonstration of pH Gradient Formation in this article.

