Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INV~N~ION
In the operation of electrolytic cells, such as the electroly-
sis of brine to produce chlorine and hydrogen, a problem of particular
intensity is the loss of power efficiency occasioned by voltage drop
(i.e. hydrogen overvoltage) at the cathode of the cell. An overvoltage
improvement of as little as 0.1 volt may materially simplify the con-
structional design of the cell and substantially improve the economics
thereof. It is known that a significant amount of the hydrogen over-
voltage is caused by the design of the cathode especially as related
to the materials from which it is constructed. Electrocatalytic activity
of the cathode core material is important to the reduction of hydrogen
overvoltage, however industrial economics play a great part in limiting
the plausibility of use of the more highly electrocatalytically active
metals, such as platinum and other noble metals and noble metal alloys.
Initial cost of these metals is higher and loss thereof, due to the
corrosive medium to which they are subjected, increase their operating
cost. In industrial applications then, it becomes very important, from
the point of view of operating costs, to economically reduce to a minimum
the overvoltage of an electrolytic cell process using inexpensively
produced cathodes having the Lowest overvoltage potentials in the
systems employed. As a result, experimental approach has centered
about the feasibility of modifying relatively inexpensive core materials
such as iron, steel, graphite, copper or alloys thereof to produce a
red~ced overvoltage.
Methods have been advanced to decrease the hydrogen overvoltage
by modification of the cathode, which include clsdding and coating
a base metal core with a higher surface active material.
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U.S. Patent 3,291,714 discloses that certain alloys
may be deposited on suitably pretreated titanium cores to provide
cathcdes of a lower hydrogen overvoltage and U.S. Patent
3,291,714 discloses certain alloys can be deposited on metallic,
particularly steel, cathodes to reduce overvoltage. It is also
known in the art to use finely divided palladium or platinum
coating on iron core cathodes. Each of these methods has some
effect upon reducing hydrogen overvoltage, however, in most
instances the overvoltage reduction is minimal and, where
precious metals are deposited, extremely costly.
Accordingly, it i9 an object of the instant invention
to provide a cathode having increased resistance to corrosion.
It i9 another object of the invention to provide a cathode having
a decreased hydrogen overvoltage. A further object is to provide
a simple method for preparing a cathode having increased corrosion
resistance and decreased hydrogen overvoltage. A still further
object is to provide an inexpensive process for the preparation
of a cathode having increased corrosion resistance and decreased
hydrogen overvoltage. These and other objects will become
apparent with the following explanation.
In accordance with the foregoing, a novel cathode and
process for preparation thereof is provided comprising a core
support formed from a material selected from the Periodic Table,
from the Handbook of Chemistry, by ~. A. Lange, 10th Edition,
1961, consisting of elements of groups IB, IVB, VB, VIIB, graphite
and mixtures thereof having a microporous surface formed by a
deposit on at least a portion of the core support of an alloy of
at least one base metal of the group consisting of chromium, man-
; ~anese and at least one sacri~icial metal which is les~ noble
than the base metal, selected from the group consi~ting ofaluminum, magnesium, tin, gallium, lead, cadmium, bismith and
antimony, at least a portion of the sacrificial metal having been
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removed. The coating on the electrode i9 prepared by a process
comprising depositing on at least a portion of the core support,
an alloy of said at least one base metal with said at least one
sacrificial metal and thereafter removing at least a portion
of said sacrificial metal from the so deposited alloy. Further,
an electrolytic cell is provided having a cathode formed by the
above process.
By microporous, it is meant that the surface is sub-
stantially porous, about 5~/O of which are of a size less than
about 10 microns and preferably about 9~/O. -
Cathodes prepared by the aforedescribed method have
been shown to have decreased hydrogen overvoltage, electrolytic
cells so equipped have increased operating efficiency and
cathodes so coated have been found to have increased corrosion
resistance.
The core support structure of the cathode may be of
any convenient size or shape as is conducive to the particular
cell in which it is operated. It may be in the form of a wire,
tube, rod, planner or curved sheet, perforated sheet, expanded
metal, foraminous metal, gauze, porous composition as fused
metal powder, The core support may be prepared from any suit-
able conductive material as afore-described such as titanium,
æirconium, vanadium, columbium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum,
tungsten, manganese, rhenium, iron, ruthenium, osmium, cobalt,
rhodium, iridium, nickel, palladium, platinum, copper, silver,
gold, carbon and mixtures thereof. The material chosen should
be suitable to the construction of the desirable form. Preferred
core structure materials are iron, copper, nickel, chromium,
graphite and mixtures or alloys thereof. Particular preferred
core materials
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are iron and alloys thereof, especially steel such as carbon steels,
iron/nickel alloys and stainless steels such as iron/chromium alloys
and iron/nickel/chromium alloys. Other preferred core materials are
mixtures of iron and copper and nickel based alloys such as nickel/
copper alloys, nickel/iron alloys, nickel/cobalt alloys and nickel/
chromium alloys.
In accordance with this invention the cathode core is initially
prepared by coating at least a portion of the core with an alloy com-
prising at least one of the desired base metals selected from the group
consisting of copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, chromium and iron, to-
gether with a secondary sacrificial metal. The secondary sacrificial
metal must be such that it may be selectively removed from the alloy
coating and preferably without removal of significant amounts of the
base metal. Selective removal may be achieved through differences in-
cluding solvent solubility and electrochemical activity. Accordingly,operable sacrificial metals include these metals which will alloy with
the selected base metal, may be selectively removed from the applied
coating, and will not adversely increase cathodic potential drop if
some metal remains on the cathode after selective removal processing.
Typical sacrificial metals operable with one or more of the base metals
include aluminum, zinc, magnesium, gallium, tin, lead, cadmium, bismuth
; and antimony.
It is to be understood however that each of the above sacrificial
metals be selectively matched with each of the base metals as is suit-
able to the sacrificial metal removal process contemplated and as is
- suitable to the cathode use. One or more sacrificial metals may be
suitable with one or more of the base metals. Preferred sacrificial
metals include those selected from the group consisting of aluminum,
zinc, magnesium and tin.
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Preferred alloys include those selected from the group consisting of
nickel-aluminum and nickel-zinc.
An especially preferred alloy is a nickel/zinc ~ -
alloy particularly the gamma nickel/zinc alloy.
The coating of the instant invention may be applied in
various ways to provide the desired mixed coatings. Thus for example,
the alloy may be mixed with a commercial resinate and the so prepared
rèsinate sprayed or otherwise deposited on the core material. It may
; then go through various heating, baking, etc., steps to assure proper
adhesion to the core. U. S. Patent 3,649,485 describes various methods
of coatings which are applicable herewith. The metal alloy may be
deposited by electrodeposition including electroplating, by sintering
a mixture of the powdered alloy metals under the application of heat,
with or without pressure, by roll-bonding, vacuum depositing, thermo
decomposition of metal organic compounds, metal spraying or rolling the
powdered alloy or a mixture of the powdered metals onto the cathode core
material, or by painting metallizing solutions of the alloy onto the
core material and subsequently firing. These and other methods are
deYcribed in U. S. Patent 3,291,714 and are applicable herewith.
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Still other methods such as chemical vapor deposition, ion plating or
sputtering are also operablc herewith. It is preferred however to
appLy the alloy by electrodeposition, electroplating, chemical deposition,
spray deposition or dipping in a molten metal bath.
The prior art is replete with varying methods of coating
cathodes which are applicable herewith. It is desirable to obtaining
maximum overvoltage reduction that the coating be continuous and without
exposure of the cathode core to the corrosive electrolytic cell medium.
Exposure of the core may produce a mixed potential which may decrease
the effect of the coating by initiating a battery effect. It is to
be understood however that even partial coatings, i.e. spot coating, on
the cathode provide decreased overvoltage.
Upon the attaining of a desirable metal alloy coating on the
cathode the microporous surface may be readily prepared by the removal
of at least a portion of the alloy material. rhe preferred method is
to treat the alloy coated core structure with an alkali solution
sufficient to dissolve the sacrificial metal therein without effecting
the base metal. A portion of the base metal may also be removed
therefrom without significant detriment to the function of the co&ting.
It has been surprisingly found that the microporous surface thereby
creatcd maintains a significant resistance to corrosion of thc core
material while decreasing the hydrogen overvoltage. The sacrificial
metal may be removed by any convenient solvent which will selectively
act thereon, however it has been found especially convenient to apply
a strong caustic solution for acceptable results. Placement of the
untreated alloyed cathode in the electrolytic cell will itself~result
in dissolution of the sacrificial métal causing a gradual decrease in
hydrogen overvoltage as the microporosity increases. Still further, -
removal of the secondary metal may be achieved electrolytically by
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selectively deplating the sacrificial metal. Such methods are
usually slow and costly and therefore, in the most part, uneco-
nomical. In the case of certain selective sacrificial metals
such as magnesium, an acid may be selectively used to create the
microporous surface by dissolution.
Selective chemically inert materials may also be added to
the coating to increase surface area. Such materials include but
are not limited to sulphates, phosphates, silicates, borates, hy-
droxides, graphite, carbon, Teflon (registered trademark), inor-
ganic oxides, magnetites, etc. Those of skill in the art will not
find it difficult to choose a suitable pore-former from the dis-
closure of the specification. They may be electrophoretically
or otherwise deposited. Care must be taken in the sacrificial
metal removal to avoid removal of the inert materials.
The following examples have been provided to further delineate
the invent:on and are not meant as a llmitation thereof.
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EXAMPLE I
Two substantially identical 1~" x l~" wire mesh, mild steel
cathodes were degreased, cleaned, rinsed and dried. One of the cathodes
was thereafter subjected to electrolytic plating by submerging it in a
solution containing 1 mole/liter of NiCl3.6H20, 1 mole/liter of ZnC12
and 30 grams/liter of H3B03, at a pH of 4.0, under a current density
of 0.775 A/100 cm2 and a temperature oE about 40C for about 60 minutes.
The plated cathode was then immersed in a 0.5 M aqueous NaOH solution for
about 24 hours, two hours thereof at about 90C, the remainLng time at
about room temperature for the removal of sacrificial Zn therefrom.
The half cell voltage of both cathodes were then compared by
sub~ecting each to testing in a small glass cell under the same conditions.
The glass cell was of two compartments, separated by a perfluoro sulfonic
acid membrane diaphragm. The anode was ruthenium oxide coated titanium,
the anolyte, saturated brine at a pH of 3.2. The catholyte was 150 g/l
aqueous NaOH and the cell temperature was maintalned at 84 centigrade.
Half cell voltages were measured by a Luggin capillary attached to a
saturated calomel reference electrode in a separate reservoir. Half cell
voltages at varying cell amperages are tabulated in Table I.
TABLE I
Mild Steel Microporous Nickel Plated
AmpsCathode (Volts) Steel Cathode (Volts)
1.0 2~85 2.80
2.0 3.40 ` 3.23
3.0 3.85 3.65
4.0 4.30 4.05
5.0 4.70 4 40
6.0 5.07 4.72
7.Q 5.45 5.07
8.0 5.80 , 5.38
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EXAMPLE II
Two substantially identical 6" x 5" wire mesh, mild steel
cathodes were degreased, cleaned, rinsed and dried. One of the cathodes
was thereafter sub~ected to electrolytic plating and causticJsacrificial
metal removal by the method of Example I.
Two substantially identical glass 6" x 5" chlorine cells
were constructed differing only in that one contained the untreated steel
cathode, the other the microporous nickel plated cathode. A circulating
catholyte system was employed, whereby each cell shared the same catholyte.
The catholyte was 150 g/l aqueous NaOH and the cell temperature was maintained
at 84 centigrade. Each anolyte consisted of saturated b~ine at a pH of 3.2.
Each anode being constructed from ruthenium oxide coated titanium. Luggin
capillaries were inserted into each cell and the potential of the cathode
surface was measured as in Example I. Table I~ is a tabulation of the half
cell voltage obtained at each cathode surface with varying amperage per
square inch (ASI) current density.
TABLE II
Mild Steel Microporous Nickel Plated
Current Density (ASI) Cathode Voltage Cathode Voltage
0.5 1.29 1.22
1.0 1.38 1.28
2.0 1.49 1.35
3.0 1.54 1.39
EXAMPLE III
Two substantially identical, 1 cm x 5 cm, mild steel, wire mesh
cathodes and a third cathode substantially identical to the other cathodes
with the exception that it was prepared from nickel were degreased, cleaned
rlnsed and dried. One of the mild steel cathodes was electroplated and
sacrificial metal was removed by the process of Example I.
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Three substantially identical glass chlorine cells were cons-
tructed differLng only in that each encompassed one of the above prepared
cathodes. The catholyte solutions was 2.5 M aqueous NaOH; the anolyte a
saturated brine maintained at a pH of 4Ø The anode of each cell was
a platinum metal anode. Luggin probes were inserted into each cell and
- the potential of the cathode surface were measured as in Example I.
Table III is a tabulation of the half cell voltages obtained at each
cathode surface with varying current density and varying cell temperature.
TABLE III
Cell Curren2 Density Iron Nickel Microporous
Temp. A/dm Cathode MV Cathode Nickel Cathode
535 425 210
30C 20 565 455 230
595 505 255
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520 415 205
60C 20 560 450 225
590 500 260
490 405 170
85C 20 530 440 210
585 490 250
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