Characterization of Seawater Electrolysis of Insoluble Catalytic Electrodes Fabricated by RF Magnetron Sputtering

Insoluble catalytic electrodes were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering of Pt on Ti substrates and the performance of seawater electrolysis was compared in these electrodes to that is DSA electrodes. The Pt-sputtered insoluble catalytic electrodes were nearly 150 nm-thick with a roughness of $0.18{\mu}m$, which is 1/660 and 1/12 of these values for the DSA (dimensionally stable anodes) electrodes. The seawater electrolysis performance levels were determined through measurements of the NaOCl concentration, which was the main reaction product after electrolysis using artificial seawater. The NaOCl concentration after 2 h of electrolysis with artificial seawater, which has 3.5% NaCl normally, at current densities of 50, 80 and 140 mA/$cm^2$ were 0.76%, 1.06%, and 2.03%, respectively. A higher current density applied through the electrodes led to higher electrolysis efficiency. The efficiency reached nearly 58% in the Pt-sputtered samples after 2 h of electrolysis. The reaction efficiency of DSA showed higher values than that of the Pt-sputtered insoluble catalytic electrodes. One plausible reason for this is the higher specific surface area of the DSA electrodes; the surface cracks of the DSAs resulted in a higher specific surface area and higher reaction sites. Upon the electrolysis process, some Mg- and Ca-hydroxides, which were minor components in the artificial seawater, were deposited onto the surface of the electrodes, resulting in an increase in the electrical resistances of the electrodes. However, the extent of the increase ranged from 4% to 7% within an electrolysis time of 720 h.

RF Magnetron Sputtering을 이용하여 제작한 불용성 촉매전극의 해수전기분해 특성