JP2002322584A - Method for promoting electrochemical reaction - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve efficiency only by adding a simple means in a method for promoting an electrochemical reaction such as electrolysis of water. SOLUTION: The electrochemical reaction is executed in a state where a reaction promoter 15, in which fine powder of a jewel or a noble stone is carried on fine powder of various kinds of minerals or metals, is in contact with an electrode 9 or is disposed near the electrode 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for promoting an electrochemical reaction, and more particularly, to a method for enhancing the efficiency of an electrochemical reaction of a fuel cell or the like by generating hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water and promoting the reaction. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As one method of generating hydrogen gas, a method of electrolysis of water is known. For example, a caustic soda aqueous solution of about 20% is heated to 60 to 70 ° C., and about 2.2%.
A method of electrolysis with V is known. There is also known a method of electrolyzing a saline solution to obtain a by-product when producing caustic soda.

[0003] In a fuel cell, the reaction efficiency is improved by using a large amount of a very expensive platinum catalyst or the like.

[0004]

By the way, in order to carry out the above-mentioned electrochemical reaction efficiently, the conditions must be strictly set, auxiliary means such as a catalyst are expensive, and maintenance is enormous. There is a problem that cost and man-hour are required, and a method that can improve efficiency by adding simpler means has been desired.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of accelerating an electrochemical reaction which can improve efficiency by adding simple means.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there is provided an electrochemical reaction accelerating method, comprising the steps of: adhering a reaction accelerating material in which fine powder of gemstone or precious stone is supported on fine powder of various minerals or metals; Although the electrochemical reaction is performed in the state where it is arranged, it can not be explained theoretically, but the electrochemical reaction due to some action radiated from the gem or precious stone fine powder only by placing the reaction accelerator Promotes a remarkable efficiency improvement effect.

[0007] When a fine powder of a noble metal is added to the reaction accelerator, the action of the fine powder of jewelry can be enhanced by adding a very small amount thereof, and the effect can be further enhanced.

[0008] If a reaction accelerator is used, which is obtained by mixing a binder with fine powder of various materials and solidifying it or molding and firing it, handling and installation become easy. Of course, the reaction accelerator may be enclosed in a container suitable for use.

If the electrochemical reaction is a gas generating reaction between hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water, hydrogen gas and oxygen gas can be efficiently obtained by electrolysis under simple conditions.

When an electrode unit having a double tube structure containing a reaction promoting material is used in a sealed space between an inner cylindrical electrode and an outer cylindrical electrode, a single electrode unit can be used as a reaction vessel containing an electrolyte. It can be easily configured because it can be installed inside
In addition, since gas is generated inside the inner cylindrical electrode and outside the outer cylindrical electrode, gas can be easily collected.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the method for accelerating electrochemical reaction of the present invention is applied to generation of hydrogen gas by electrolysis of water will be described below with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a reaction tank, which contains a caustic soda aqueous solution 2 having a concentration of 2.5%. In a reaction tank 1, an aqueous solution of caustic soda 2
A hydrogen gas collecting chamber 3 and an oxygen gas collecting chamber 4 immersed therein are provided, and the lower portions of the gas collecting chambers 3 and 4 are each provided with a partition wall 7 which allows the flow of the aqueous caustic soda solution 2 and has an electrically insulating property. The enclosed electrode placement chambers 5, 6 are connected. Further, in a section between the electrode arrangement chambers 5 and 6, a cloth of synthetic resin or other defective conductor, a fine mesh, or the like may be vertically provided between them so as to block both.

A negative electrode 9 and a positive electrode 10 are provided in the electrode placement chambers 5 and 6, respectively. Electrodes 9, 1
Reference numeral 0 denotes electrode rods 9a and 10a fixed to the upper end thereof, and these electrode rods 9a and 10a insulate and seal the openings 3a and 4a formed in the upper walls of the hydrogen gas collecting chamber 3 and the oxygen gas collecting chamber 4, respectively. , And is connected to the DC power supply 11. Gas outlets 13 and 14 are formed in the upper walls of the hydrogen gas collection chamber 3 and the oxygen gas collection chamber 4.

Electrode 1 of negative electrode 9 for generating hydrogen gas
A reaction promoting material 15 is disposed on the back surface opposite to the surface opposing 0, and the outer surface thereof is hermetically sealed by a sealing cover 16. The reaction accelerator 15 may be similarly arranged on the back surface of the positive electrode 10.

The reaction accelerating material 15 is a fine powder of gem or precious stone (hereinafter, referred to as jewelry) carried on fine powders of various minerals or metals. The one to which fine powder of noble metal is added is used.

[0016] That is, jewelry is expensive and impractical in the form of a lump, and has a small effect, and a sufficient effect can be obtained even in a very small amount by increasing the surface area by making a fine powder. Also, rather than using one kind of jewelry,
Even if the total amount is the same, the effect is improved by using a mixture of various types.

Further, by adding a very small amount of fine powders of a plurality of types of precious metals to the fine powders of the jewelry, the action of the fine powders of the jewelry can be enhanced, and the effect can be improved while saving the jewelry. be able to.

In addition, various minerals, metals, metal oxides, and other fine powders are used to carry the above-mentioned minute amounts of fine jewelry and noble metal fine powder. These supporting powders also contribute to the improvement of the action by using a mixture of various kinds of materials instead of a single kind.

In this embodiment, specifically, the following 2
Different compositions were used (values are parts by weight).

Materials Reaction Accelerator 1 Reaction Accelerator 2 (Jewel and Precious Stone) Diamond 0.5 0.5 Iolite 8-Peridot 29 34 Lapis Lazuli (Ruri) 38 43 Agate (Agate) 40 53 Jade 80 90 Inca Rose 38 34 Beryl 38 38 Jasperoid (jasper) 33 33 Tourmaline (tourmaline) 43 43 Red quartz 33 33 (precious metal) Platinum 0.8 0.4 Platinum black 0.5 0.5 Rhodium 0.8 0.8 (Ore ore ) Cinnabar 33 33 obsidian 24 24 marble 24 34 gypsum 24 28 diatomaceous earth 23 23 fluorite 14-maltite 34 34 sodaite 18 18 muscovite 23 23 biotite 14-boulder 38 34 moshish 8 18 18 serpentinite 32 32 serpentine 32 32 (Hematite) 14 14 Galena 28 28 ( Genus) copper 33 33 tin 1824 nickel 80 90 zinc 33 33 brass 32 32 (metal oxide) copper oxide 34 34 aluminum oxide powder 28 28 alumina 918 (others) silicon 28 28 graphite 18 34 rosin 17 17 or more At present, it is not possible to theoretically explain the effect of the electrolysis while the reaction accelerator 15 having the composition is arranged in contact with the electrode 9. 15 can be improved as compared with the case in which 15 is not arranged.

Next, an experimental example will be described. A beaker was used as a reaction tank, and 800 cc of a 2.5% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was accommodated therein. 65mm x 95m as electrode
18 g of a reaction promoting material 15 was placed in contact with one side of a copper plate having a thickness of 0.3 mm and the periphery thereof was sealed with a vinyl plate having a thickness of 5 mm.
Set to 0mm, 5A, 3V at room temperature without heating
For 6 hours. During that time, a large amount of fine bubbles were generated from the entire exposed surface of the electrode, and it was confirmed that a large amount of hydrogen gas and oxygen gas were generated. When the disappearance of the aqueous solution was measured after completion of the experiment, it was 12.94 cc, and the water was electrolyzed by that amount.

As a comparative example, a beaker was used as a reaction tank, and 800 cc of a 2.5% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was accommodated therein. 65mm x 95mm, thickness 0.3 as electrode
A copper plate having a thickness of 1 mm was completely covered with a vinyl film, the distance between the electrodes was set to 30 mm, and electricity was supplied at room temperature at 5 A and 3 V for 6 hours. During this time, bubbles were generated from the entire exposed surface of the electrode, but were relatively small. After the experiment was completed, the disappearance of the aqueous solution was measured.
5 cc, and that much water was electrolyzed.

From the above experimental results, it can be seen that a large amount of hydrogen gas can be efficiently generated even by electrolysis at room temperature using a low-concentration aqueous solution by disposing the reaction accelerator in contact with the electrode. Was.

In another experiment, it was confirmed that a certain effect was exhibited even when the reaction promoting material was arranged near the electrode away from the electrode.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes an electrode unit, which is formed of a copper pipe and is fitted with an inner cylindrical electrode 22 and an outer cylindrical electrode 23 having a difference in diameter so as to form an annular space therebetween. The lower end is closed and connected by an insulating member 24 to form a double pipe structure, the reaction promoting material 15 is accommodated in the annular space, and the upper end of the annular space is hermetically sealed by a sealing member 25.

The reaction tank 1 is sealed by an upper lid 26, and a partition wall 28 is disposed below the gas collecting chamber 27. An arbitrary number of electrode units are suspended from the lower surface of the partition wall 28. 21 are mounted. Although schematically shown in FIG. 2, the inner cylindrical electrode 22 is connected to the negative electrode of the DC power supply 11 and the outer cylindrical electrode 23 is connected to the positive electrode of the DC power supply 11. The partition wall 28 is provided with a gas outlet 29 communicating the inside of the inner cylindrical electrode 22 with the gas collecting chamber 27, and the upper lid 26 is provided with a hydrogen gas outlet 30 for extracting hydrogen gas from the gas collecting chamber 27.

An electrolytic solution supply port 31 for supplying and discharging an electrolytic solution into and from the reactor 1 is formed in the lower portion of the reactor 1, and a small space for taking out oxygen gas is provided below the partition wall 28. It is configured to inject to the position where it is opened. An oxygen gas outlet 32 is provided at an upper portion of the reaction tank 1 to take out oxygen gas accumulated at a lower portion of the partition wall 28.

In the above configuration, the inner cylindrical electrode 22
Hydrogen gas is generated inside the inside and oxygen gas is generated outside the outer cylindrical electrode 23, and the generated hydrogen gas rises as it is and is collected from the gas outlet 29 into the gas collection chamber 27, and the hydrogen gas outlet 30. And the generated oxygen gas is collected in the space between the partition wall 28 and the liquid level of the electrolytic solution and taken out from the oxygen gas outlet 32, and can be separated and collected easily and reliably. In addition, since the electrode unit 21 is formed in a cylindrical shape, it may be mounted on the lower surface of the partition wall 28 and installed in the reaction tank 1, so that a simple configuration can be achieved. Also, the required number of electrode units 2 depending on the capacity
Since it is only necessary to arrange and mount ones, it is possible to easily perform a design according to the ability.

In the above description of the embodiment, the reaction accelerator 1
Although an example in which the powder is used in the form of a fine powder as 5 is shown, it is also possible to use a fine powder having the above composition mixed with an appropriate binder and solidified, or molded and fired. Then,
Handling and installation are easy. For example, a low-melting glass powder such as high-lead glass or a polymer material is mixed as a binder, molded, and fired to be used as a substrate of a reformer of a fuel cell.

[0030]

According to the electrochemical reaction accelerating method of the present invention, the reaction accelerating material in which the fine powder of gem or precious stone is carried on the fine powder of various minerals or metals as described above is contacted with the electrode or the electrode. Performs an electrochemical reaction in a state of being disposed in the vicinity of the above, the electrochemical reaction is promoted by some action radiated from the fine powder of jewelry or precious stone, and a remarkable efficiency improving effect is exhibited.

When a fine powder of a noble metal is added to the reaction accelerator, the action of the fine powder of jewelry can be enhanced by adding a very small amount, and the effect can be further enhanced.

If a reaction accelerator is used, which is obtained by mixing a binder with fine powder of various materials and solidifying it, or by molding and firing, the handling and installation become easier.

Further, if the electrochemical reaction is a reaction of generating hydrogen gas and oxygen scum by electrolysis of water, hydrogen gas and oxygen gas can be efficiently obtained by electrolysis under simple conditions.

When an electrode unit having a double tube structure containing a reaction promoting material is used in a sealed space between the inner cylindrical electrode and the outer cylindrical electrode, a single electrode unit can be used as a reaction tank containing an electrolyte. It can be easily configured because it can be installed inside
In addition, since gas is generated inside the inner cylindrical electrode and outside the outer cylindrical electrode, gas can be easily collected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a hydrogen / oxygen gas generator by electrolysis of water according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a hydrogen / oxygen gas generator by electrolysis of water according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reaction tank 2 Caustic soda aqueous solution 9 Negative electrode 10 Positive electrode 11 DC power supply 15 Reaction accelerator 21 Electrode unit 22 Inner cylindrical electrode 23 Outer cylindrical electrode

Continuation of the front page F term (reference) 4K011 AA69 DA01 4K021 AA01 BA02 BC09 CA09 DA05 DA10 DB11 DB46 DC01 DC03 5H018 AA02 AS01 BB03 CC01 EE03 EE11

Claims (5)

[Claims] The present invention is characterized in that an electrochemical reaction is carried out in a state where a reaction accelerating material in which fine powder of gem or precious stone is supported on fine powder of various minerals or metals is placed in contact with or near an electrode. Electrochemical reaction promoting method. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a fine powder of a noble metal is added to the reaction accelerator. 3. The electrochemical reaction accelerating method according to claim 1, wherein the reaction accelerating material is a material obtained by mixing a binder with a fine powder of various materials and solidifying or molding and firing. Method. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the electrochemical reaction is a gas generating reaction between hydrogen and oxygen by electrolysis of water. 5. The electrochemical reaction accelerating device according to claim 4, wherein an electrode unit having a double tube structure containing a reaction accelerating material is used in a sealed space between the inner cylindrical electrode and the outer cylindrical electrode. Method.