The earliest date is from 1786 to more than 200 years ago. The process of electrolysis is the conversion of electrical energy into chemical energy. The most representative caustic soda industry aqueous solution electrolysis industry can explain the development history of electrode materials.
Brine electrolysis was initially performed in the laboratory using platinum electrodes, natural carbon electrodes, natural graphite electrodes, magnetic iron oxide electrodes, lead dioxide electrodes. These are the earliest electrode materials tested.
Salt water electrolysis requires that the anode material has good point catalytic performance, good durability and the ability to inhibit oxygen precipitation. The first electrodes used in industrial production were graphite electrodes. The graphite electrode can fully meet the above requirements when the brine concentration is high, but the graphite anode has the following disadvantages: high resistance.
Therefore, the electricity consumption is large; With the development of electrochemical reaction, the loss of graphite electrode is large and the electrode distance changes, which leads to the instability of electrolysis production. The active surface of chlorination reaction is difficult to maintain.
Since the beginning of the 1960s, the petrochemical industry has developed rapidly. Many large ethylene plants have been set up all over the country. And that requires a big leap in chlor-alkali production. At this time, the graphite anode is required to have mechanical processing capacity, to make holes in the graphite anode, the graphite anode itself processing performance is not very good, it is required to have a new material to replace. The development of metal anodes is particularly important. The development of metal anodes has a long history. The earliest metal anodes were mostly platinum-based, but they were too expensive to be widely used.
From 1910 to 1940, magnesium thermal reduction and sodium thermal reduction were completed to produce
titanium sponge. And mass production. Titanium as the substrate of the anode is prominent, titanium is also known as: valve metal, with a stable oxide layer protection, so that the anode electrode can not pass, so in the brine electrolysis condition has good durability and stability. Titanium metal can be arbitrary mechanical processing, can make
titanium plate,
titanium rod,
titanium wire,
titanium mesh,
titanium tube, porous plate, etc. It is widely used.
In addition to the development of coated electrodes in the 1960s, widely used in chemical industry, environmental protection, water electrolysis, water treatment, electrometallurgy, electroplating, foil production, organic synthesis, electrodialysis, cathodic protection and many other industries.
