Anode Materials General Requirements

1 Anode Materials General Requirements A major problem and thus a decisive factor for the choice of anode materials is corrosion, except when the dissolution of a metal is the desired reaction ( sacrificial anodes , see Sect. 2.4.1.2.4). The stability of anode materials is extremely dependent on the composition of the anolyte (e.g. pH value, aqueous or non-aqueous medium, temperature, presence of halogenides, etc.). 

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The general requirements for an SOFC anode material include [1-3] good chemical and thermal stability during fuel cell fabrication and operation, high electronic conductivity under fuel cell operating conditions, excellent catalytic activity toward the oxidation of fuels, manageable mismatch in coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) with adjacent cell components, sufficient mechanical strength and flexibility, ease of fabrication into desired microstructures (e.g., sufficient porosity and surface area), and low cost. Further, ionic conductivity would be beneficial to the extension of... 

The anode material is, most typically, transparent ITO coated onto a glass or plastic substrate. Chapter 5 describes the details of such transparent anode materials. The general requirements for an anode material are as follows ... 

Unlike the constraints on anode material, the constraints on cathode materials are usually lower because typically they do not need to constitute the transparent electrode material. In certain instances, where a completely transparent OLED is needed (windshield and heads-up displays), ITO may also be used as the cathode with suitable modification [12]. In general, cathode materials are pure metals or metal alloys. The requirements for cathode materials are as follows ... 

Alkanes are functionalised by anodic oxidation in acetonitrile, methanol, acetic acid and more acidic solvents such as trifluoracetic acid and fluorosulphuric acid. Reaction requires very positive electrode potentials (see Table 2.1) and platinum has generally been used as anode materials in laboratory scale experiments. On a larger scale carbon is used as anode material. The first stage in these reactions in-... 

The choice of anodic material depends on a number of factors but principally cost and the required life. Consumable electrodes in general, are less costly but must be replaced as they are consumed, and they have the limitation that they cannot sustain high current loadings. A major difficulty may be the contaminating effects of the dissolution products. Non consumable alloy electrodes such as... 

Anode system. The anode system, which consists of the anode material plus its overlay, must supply the required current for the anticipated service life and distribute it to the reinforcement that needs to be protected. Anode materials and current density aspects have been dealt with in a previous section. The general requirements of an anode system are it has to adhere to the concrete surface it should be suitable for appHcation to the surface needing protection (top, bottom, horizontal, vertical, flat, curved), it should be durable and have low installation cost it should produce acceptable weight addition and change of the appearance and dimensions of the structure. If an overlay is used, it should have durable bond to the substrate concrete, sufficient mechanical strength and electrical characteristics equal to those of base concrete (ionic conductivity). 

Pretreatment of the collected particulate matter may be required for chemical analysis. Pretreatment generally involves extraction of the particulate matter into a liquid. The solution may be further treated to transform the material into a form suitable for analysis. Trace metals may be determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AA), emission spectroscopy, polarogra-phy, and anodic stripping voltammetry. Analysis of anions is possible by colorimetric techniques and ion chromatography. Sulfate (S04 ), sulfite (SO-, ), nitrate (NO3 ), chloride Cl ), and fluoride (F ) may be determined by ion chromatography (15). 

Corrosion can be controlled by Isolation of the metal from the corrosive environment by suppression of the anodic dissolution of metal and by suppression of the corresponding cathodic reaction. Isolation of corrosion prone metals from corrosive environments is probably the most general mechanism of the corrosion protection afforded by paint films, sealers, and similar polymer-based materials. Effective isolation requires that polymeric materials have good barrier properties and remain adherent in the presence of water and the products of metallic corrosion. Barrier properties and adhesion aspects of corrosion control are discussed in detail in subsequent sections. 

Production of one metric ton of molten aluminum requires about 500 kg of anode carbon and 7.5—10 kg of cathode blocks which is the largest industry usage of carbon materials. Aluminum smelters generally have an on-site carbon plant for anode production. Anode technology is focused on raw materials (petroleum coke and coal-tar pitch), processing techniques, and rodding practices (74). 

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