April 16, 1974 C. N. WELCH 3,804,740 Ao
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April 16, 1974 C. N. WELCH 3,804,740 ELECTRODES HAVING A DELAFOSSITE SURFACE Filed Feb. l., 1972 4 Sheet S-Sheet 1 ?oo W Ao 5o FC, 3.oOo 2.Soo d 2. oOo 500 3.OOO 2.5OO d. 2.ooo • Koo 2oo 3.ooo 2.5oo d 2.ooo 5oo 2oo 3.OOO 2.5OO d 2.OOO 5OO .2oo April 16, 1974 C. N. WELCH 3,804,740 ELECTRODES HAVING A DELAFOSSITE SURFACE Filed Feb. In l972 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FF G G | April 16, 1974 C, N. WELCH 3,804,740 ELECTRODES HAWING ADELAFOSSITE SURFACE Filed Feb. l., 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 - * « ŠMS —---- Pè.NO GS 5 G —==—È----==__ | N2 G April 16, 1974 C. N. WELCH- M 3,804,740 ELECTRODES HAWING A DELAFOSSITE SURFACE Filed Feb. 1, 1972 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 R | FFN -8 -SR 3,804,740 United States Patent Office Patented Apr. 16, 1974 1 2 3,804,740 N ELECTRO DES HAVING A DELAFOSSTE SURFACE DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Cletus N. Welch, Barberton, Ohio, assignor to Nora According to this invention, an electrode is provided International Company, Panama, Panama having a delafossite surface on an electroconductive sub Filed Feb. 1, 1972, Ser. No. 222,501 nt. Cl. B01k3/06; C01b 7/06, 11/26 strate. Delafossites are metal oxycompounds having the U.S. CI. 204-290 R . 3 Claims stoichiometric formula: ABO ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE where A is platinum, palladium, silver, or copper, and B is chromium, iron, cobalt, rhodium, aluminum, gado Electrodes useful for electrochemical reactions are dis 0 linium, scandium, indium, thallium, lead, ruthenium, and closed. Also disclosed are electrolytic cells utilizing such the lanthanides. B may also be any metal ion having a electrodes and the use of such electrodes in the conduct --3 formal valence state compatible with the delafossite of electrochemical reactions. The electrodes have dela structure. Delafossites also include non-stoichiometric fossite i surfaces on suitable electroconductive bases. compounds having the delafossite-type structure as de Delafossites are electroconductive oxycompounds of 5 fined herein. Delafossites have a unique crystallographic metals and include platinum cobalt delafossite (PtCoO), structure similar to that of the natural mineral delafossite palladium cobalt i delafossite (PdCoO), palladium (CuFeO2) with the slight differences in crystallographic chromium - delafossite (PdCrO2), palladium rhodium structure being due to slightly different ionic radii. delafossite (PdRhO2), palladium ruthenium delafossite Delafossites provide particularly satisfactory electrode (PdRuO2), palladium lead delafossite (PdPbO), the 20 materials because they combine high electrical conductiv palladium lanthanide delafossites, silver cobalt delafossite ity comparable to that of metals, with high resistance (AgCoO2), silver gadolinium delafosssite (AgGaO2), to chemical attack comparable to that of refractory metal silver scandium delafossite (AgScO2), silver indium dela oxides. For example, the bulk electrical conductivity of fossite - (AgInO2), silver thallium delafossite (AgT1O2), compressed powders of the platinum and palladium dela "copper i cobalt delafossite - (CuCoO2) and copper iron 25 fossites is on the order of about 108 to 104 (ohm-centi "delafossite (CuFeO2), includinig the mineral delafossite meters)--1. Such platinum and palladium delafossites are, (CuFeO). however, resistant to attack by strong acids such as aqua regia at 70° C. and by nascent chlorine. BACKGROUND 30 Delafossites are a family of oxides of two or more Numerous electrochemical reactions, such as the elec metals, the oxide having a rhombohedral structure with trolysis of . brines, hydrochloric acid, and sulfates, elec a hexagonal crystal habit similar to that of the mineral troplating, i electrowinning, electrolytic production of delafossite CuFeO2. Delafossites may further be char metal powders, electrolytic cleaning, electrolytic pickling, acterized in that their crystals have a space group of and the electrochemical generation of electric power, in 35 166, a Shoenflies group of Dadº, a Standard Full Symbol volve the use of non-consumable anodes. Previously, of graphite anodes have been used, especially in such proc esses as , the electrolysis of brines and the electrolysis R (R, bar 3, two over m) of hydrochloric acid. More recently, electrodes have been : developed for such processes utilizing a suitable electro 40 and an International Symbol of conductive base or substrate and an electrocatalytic coat ing thereon. Typically, such electrocatalytic coatings have Ram (R, bar 3, m) been the platinum group metals; e.g., platinum, osmium, iridium, ruthenium, i palladium, and rhodium, and their 45 Such oxides and their crystallography are particularly oxides. * • . " . described in the articles by W. J. Croft et al., Acta SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Crystallogr., vol. 17, p. 313 (1964); W. Gessner, Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., vol. 352, p. 145 (1966); H. Hahn It has now been found that a particularly satisfactory et al., Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., vol. 279, p. 281 (1955); electrode for the conduct of electrochemical reactions W. Dannhauser et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., vol. 77, p. may be provided by the use of a delafossite surface on 50 896 (1955); H. Wiedersich et al., Mineral Mag., vol. 36, a suitable electroconductive substrate or base member. p. 643 (1968); A. Krause et al., Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem., Delafossites are oxides of high electrical conductivity vol. 228, p. 352 (1936); A. Pabst, Amer. Mineral, vol. 31, having the stoichiometric formula: p. 539 (1946); and A. H. Muir et al., J. Phys. Chem. Solids, vol. 28, p. 65; R. D. Shannon et al., “Chemistry ABO 55 of Noble Metal Oxides. I. Synthesis and Properties of A is platinum, palladium, silver, or copper. B is typical ABO Delafossite Compounds,” Inorganic Chemistry, vol. ly chromium, iron, cobalt, rhodium, aluminum, gadolini 10, p. 713 (1971); C. I. Prewitt et al., “Chemistry of um, scandium, indium, thallium, lead, ruthenium, and the Noble Metal Oxides. II. Crystal Structures of PtCoO, lanthanides. B may, however, be any metal ion having PdCoO2, CuFeO2, and AgFeO2” Inorganic Chemistry, a stable. --3 formal valence state compatible with the 60 vol. 10, p. 719 (1971); D. B. Rogers et al., “Chemistry delafossite structure. of Noble Metal Oxides. III. Electrical Transport Prop Delafossites also include i non-stoichiometric com erties and Crystal Chemistry of ABO Compound With pounds isostructural with the stoichiometric delafossites. the Delafossite Structure,” Inorganic Chemistry, vol. 10, A suitable electroconductive substrate is an electrocon p. 723 (1971); U.S. Pat. 3.498,931 to D. B. Rogers et ductive substrate that is substantially not attacked by the 65 al. for “Electrically conductive Oxides Containing Pal electrolyte. ladium and Their Preparation;” U.S. Pat. 3,514,414 to 3,804,740 5 6 These peaks of high intensity are caused by the X-rays For the more compact platinum group metal delafos being “reflected” from parallel planes in the crystal re site i crystals, a peak exists at about 1.76 to 1.81 ang inforcing each other. - The wave length of the X-rays, the stroms. This peak, at about 1.7655 for the platinum co spacing of the planes in the crystal, and the angle, e, are balt delafossite (PtCoO2), has an intensity of about 0.30. related by Bragg’s law. Bragg’s law is: For the palladium cobalt delafossite, the peak appearing at an interplanar distance of about 1.7616 angstroms has 2d sin E9:ssenM an intensity of about 0.30. For the slightly less compact where d is the distance between the planes of the crys palladium chromium delafossite (PdCrO2), the peak ap tal, n is an integer, M is the wave length of the X-rays, pears at about 1.8084 angstroms and has an intensity of and €9 is both the angle of incidence of the X-rays and the less than 0.05. angle of reflection of the X-rays. X-ray diffraction data are obtained from a diffractom TABLE 1 eter that is direct reading in 2e. The quantity (180° X-ray powder diffraction pattern for copper iron minus 269) is the angle between the incident ray and the 5 delafossite (CuFeO) reflected ray. d: - - . I/IIo Table I shows the X-ray diffraction pattern for the min 286 ------------------------------------ 35 eral delafossite (CuFeO). Particularly to be noted is the 2.58 ------------------------------------ 18 doublet at 2.58 and 2.508 angstroms and the peaks at 2.508 ----------------------------------- 100 2.238 and 1.658 angstroms, respectively. 2.238 ----------------------------------- 25 Certain generalities may be noted with respect to the 20 2.083 ----------------------------------- 6 powder X-ray diffraction patterns of the platinum group 1902 ----------------------------------- 9 metal delafossites. First to be noted is a particularly strong 1-6º8 ----------------------------------- 35 peak at a d value from about 5.9072 to 6.0229. Next to i 1.512 ----------------------------------- 40 be noted in FIGS. III through V, inclusive, is the existence 1-434 ----------------------------------- 20 of a strong doublet where the peaks are separated from 25 1336 ----------------------------------- 18 each other by from about 0.06 to about 0.07 angstrom 1295 ----------------------------------- 12 with the greater separation of peaks and greater differ 1253 ----------------------------------- 10 ences of intensities being for the platinum group metal 1.184 ----------------------------------- 6 delafossites having the larger unit crystal and the peaks 1.119 ----------------------------------- 10 being closer together and of more. nearly equal intensity 30 1.108 ----------------------------------- 6 for the platinum group metal delafossites having the more 1040 ----------------------------------- 18 compact unit crystal. For the platinum cobalt delafossite 0.984 ------- * 1 6 (PtCoO), the two peaks of the doublet are at 2.4260 and 0.965 ----------------------------------- 10 2.3609. angstroms. For the palladium cobalt delafossite (PdCoO), the two peaks of the doublet are at about 35 TABLE 2 2.4272 and 2.3616 angstroms, while for the palladium chromium delafossite the two peaks are at 2.5065 and X-ray powder diffraction pattern for platinum cobalt 2.4375 angstroms, and for the palladium rhodium dela M delafossite (PtCoO) fossite (PdRhO2) the two peaks are at about 2.5884 and d: M I/IIo 2.5141 angstroms.