The selectivity of the chlorine evolution reaction over the oxygen evolution reaction during the electrolysis of aqueous NaCl is, despite being very high, still insufficient to prevent expensive separation of the formed Cl2 and O2 by means of liquefaction. We hypothesize that, by decreasing the local activity of H2O near the anode surface by substantially increasing the ionic strength of the electrolyte, the oxygen evolution reaction would be suppressed, leading concomitantly to a higher selectivity of Cl2 over O2 formation. Hence, the influence of the ionic strength on the competition between electrochemical evolution of O2 and Cl2 at dimensionally stable anodes (DSAs) was investigated. Addition of a high concentration of NaNO3, an inert electrolyte additive, increases the selectivity for chlorine at high current density, as determined by means of online electrochemical mass spectrometry and UV‐vis spectroscopy. We propose conditions in which free water is suppressed, owing to under‐coordination of the solvation shells of ions, as a general concept to modulate the selectivity of competing electrochemical reactions.
Kohlenstoffkorrosion bei hohen anodischen Potentialen bestimmt die Instabilitätu nd die langfristige Funktionalitätd er Elektroden vor allem in sauren Elektrolyten. Die Untersuchung der Kohlenstoffkorrosion auchi na lkalischen Umgebungen mittels differentieller elektrochemischer Massenspektrometrie (DEMS) wird durch die Umwandlung von CO 2 in CO 3 2À behindert. Wir berichten über die Anpassung eines DEMS-Systems zur Online-CO 2-Detektion als Produkt der Kohlenstoffkorrosion in alkalischen Elektrolyten. Ein neues Zellendesign fürd ie In-situ-Ansäuerung setzt zunächst gelçstes CO 3 2À als CO 2 vor der DEMS-Membran frei. DEMS-Studien an einem kohlenstoffgestützten Nickelborid-(Ni x B/C)-Katalysator und Vulcan XC 72 bei hohen anodischen Potentialen deuten auf einen Schutz des Kohlenstoffs durchh ochaktive Elektrokatalysatoren zur Sauerstoffentwicklung hin. Die Kohlenstoffkorrosion in alkalischer Lçsung ist reduziert, was neue Aspekte fürd ie Anwendung von Kohlenstoffmaterialien bieten kann.
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