Ha ha! You would be the exception to the rule, Steve. It is the potential which determines whether silver will be disassociated from the electrodes or not. The rate of disassociation is reflected by the current flow. The voltage at which a current begins to flow reflects the over-voltage required by a particular set up, above the theoretical reduction potential (0.8V for silver).
A high rate of production under a large potential means collision and aggregation is more likely, before the particles become solvated (surrounded by water molecules) and resist such aggregation, and the distance to the cathode is traversed at a much faster rate with higher rate of plating out and chance of metallic particle inclusion. I have no experience with a system such as yours and so cannot really comment other than to say, the best quality DC generated CS is found in systems where time is not a limit. Very low voltage, and current limited to about 2.0 microAmps per mm^2 I have found to give good results... clear sol with very little Tyndall effect. No generating system requires the addition of electrolyte or starters, which always compromise the finished product. Mind you, most systems (even the humble 3 x 9V battery systems) are capable of producing CS which is effective. Regards Ivan. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Young" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, 24 May 2000 16:32 Subject: Re: CS>What is best constant current? Fred and list, In my case, I take exception to your statement below. I really do!! I built a constant current generator which produces exactly the same constant current from the starting instant to the end. At the moment, it is set for 1.67 ma., which produces approximately 5 PPM/hour. The starting voltage can be over 500 volts, so it can handle very low conductivity distilled water with no added electrolyte. The batch I brewed tonight started out at about 180 volts and ended after two hours at around 15 volts, all at 1.67 ma. I still don't know the optimum current to set my HVDC generator for. Is there a lower threshold of current (x microamps?) where the energy level is too low to "knock off" silver atoms from the electrode? --Steve ----- Original Message ----- From: Fred To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2000 10:19 PM Subject: CS>What is best constant current? Constant current has nothing to do with the results, Steve! Those that claim to use it really do not, since starting current is of course much lower! Try current limiting! <SNIP> [email protected] ------------------------------------------------------------------ Steve said: Hi list, I am new to this list, but have designed and experimented with many CS generators over the last few years (I am an EE). But I need some help with the electro-chemistry aspects. For a DC generator, I have seen conflicting recommendations on the best constant current to use. For example, one recommends 20 ma., and another says use less than 1 ma. Some say particle size is smaller when less current and more time is used for a given PPM. What is the list wisdom on the value of constant current to use? I have made both low voltage DC generators (which requires a bit of baking soda for proper conductivity) and high voltage DC generators (which don't need any additive to the steam distilled water). Is the optimum current the same for both low and high voltage constant current generators? Thanks, Steve Young -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -or- [email protected] with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: [email protected] Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
