Title: Energy balance of D2O electrolysis with a palladium cathode
Abstract: D2O electrolysis from 0.1 M LiOD solutions was carried out; in a cell both with and without diaphragm, under conditions similar to those used by Fleischmann et al. (J. Electroanal. Chem., 261 (1989) 301; errata, 263 (1989) 187). The following quantities were followed electrolysis parameters: energy balance of the electrolysis in the form of resulting excess heat, individual gas evolution rates, cathodic formation of PdDn, and also, in the case of the divided cell, the gas purity. Within the experimental accuracy of 0.5%, no excess heat was determined during the electrolysis in either type of electrolytic cell. In this respect, D2O electrolysis with a Pd cathode behaves just like normal H2O electrolysis. In the diaphragm cell, in the stationary state of electrolysis, the current yields of the two gas products were equal to 1.0. In the initial stage of electrolysis, cathodically discharged deuterium was adsorbed in the palladium cathode under PdDn, formation, until a stationary composition of PdDn, had been achieved. In the cell without diaphragm, during the initial non-stationary course of electrolysis, part of the primary discharged deuterium was absorbed in the palladium cathode, another part recombined with anodically formed oxygen back to D2O(liq). The fraction of the D2 + O2; mixture undergoing the recombination reaction diminished markedly with increasing deuterium content in the PdDn, cathode. In the stationary state of electrolysis, when no further deuterium absorption takes place (i.e. for n ~ 0.7 to 0.8), the stationary extent of the recombination dropped to nearly zero. After 270 h of electrolysis, a platinum deposit was determined on the surface of the Pd cathode, apparently originating from the partially corroded Pt anode. This Pt deposit catalyses the recombination reaction, even on the surface of practically inhibited PdDn.
Publication Year: 1990
Publication Date: 1990-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 23
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