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A Voltammetric Investigation of Oxygen Reduction in a Trickle Bed Cell Using Graphite Chip and RVC Cathodes
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1983
Year
EngineeringOxygen ReductionChemical EngineeringTrickle Bed CellElectrode Reaction MechanismPacked Bed ElectrodeElectrical EngineeringHigh Purity GraphiteBattery Electrode MaterialsElectrochemical Power SourceElectrochemical CellElectrochemical ProcessRvc CathodesElectrochemistryElectric BatteryVoltammetric InvestigationElectrochemical Energy StorageBatteriesAnode Materials
Steady‐state voltammetry measurements were used to assess the uniformity of reaction conditions along the length of the packed bed electrode in a two‐compartment trickle bed cell. The model reaction was the cathodic reduction of oxygen in 2M caustic under various conditions of pressure, cell temperature, and catholyte flow rate. Two kinds of carbon cathodes were employed: small chips of high purity graphite and a piece of reticulated vitreous carbon foam. Oxygen reduction was shown to occur at these carbons in two steps, ; . Generally, an increase in current density produced an increase in the potential gradient along the cathode bed, favoring the reduction of to OH−. This nonuniform potential distribution is attributed to local differences in the oxygen supply. We conclude that mass transfer in the trickle bed cell is not efficient enough to replace all the oxygen consumed by electrolysis at current densities above ca. 200 A/m2.