At 1:07 AM 11/27/4, Frederick Sparber wrote:
>Most likely, use of a Magnesium Anode (Sacrificial Cathodic Protection) and
>a Palladium Cathode with a LICl-D2O electrolyte will get more CF-OU bang
>for the buck
>than using a power supply.
Lets play with this lead a bit. One problem with using Mg as the anode is
depositing of Mg on the cathode will change its electronegativity. Mg can
not be used as a separate (biasing) anode because then its potential,
though possibly preserving loading when the "real" anode potential is not
provided, does not add to the "real" anode when it is positive. To obtain
the "bias" the Mg anode must be used as "the" anode, and thus it carries
the full cell current and transports MG Accordingly.
Perhaps this can be worked up into a viable concept. Suppose the add-on
potential comes in the form of AC produced by capacitive coupling to the
cell, as shown in Fig. 1 below.
------------
| |
IIII|IIIII | Mg bias connection
II MMM II |
II II |
II II |
| II C II | | KEY:
| II C II | |
| II C II | | M - Mg bias anode
| II C II | | C - Cathode
| II C II | | A - Current supplying anode
| II C II | | II - Insulating dielectric
| II C II | |
| II C II | |
| II C II | |
(AC)----------| II C--------o----(-) Cathode potential
| II C II |
| II C II |
| II C II |
| II C II |----(-AC)
| II C II |
| II C II |
Plate 1 | II C II | Plate 2
| II C II |
| II C II |
II II
II AAAA II
IIIII|IIII
|
(+) Current Anode (Anode potential)
Fig. 1 - Diagram of Biased AC Electrolysis Cell
Top View, Cross section
Perhaps elecrolysis occurs during the positive cycle for Plate 2? The
electode "AAAA"is necessary to provide the net current which results - due
to current flowing when Plate 1 is positive and no current flowing when
Plate 1 is negative. Without the Current Anode the cell potential will go
negative and stop all adsorbtion. Again deposition of Mg on the cathode
may end the bias provided by the sacrificial Mg anode. An alternative may
be to use a Pt current providing anode ("AAAA") which also provides the
bias voltage (about 1.4 V) for the AC. The bias voltage provided by "MMM"
or "AAAA" is large enough to sustain the cathode loading but small enough
to avoid much evolved hydrogen. In this arrangement the interface
essentially acts like a diode, an "incremental diode".
It's too good to be true. Just wishful thinking? After this long day I
can't call it one way or another. I suppose the possibility of electolysis
improvement boils down to whether or not the current anode or bias anode is
supplying current when Plate 1 is postitive.
Regards,
Horace Heffner
