Electrolytic cell equipped with microelectrodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11421332-B2
Application number	US-201314441336-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2013
Priority date	Nov 9, 2012
Publication date	Aug 23, 2022
Grant date	Aug 23, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to an electrolytic cell equipped with microelectrodes for the generation of un-separated products and the method for obtaining it. The cell and the microelectrodes of the present invention are obtained using a technology for the production of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). The anodic and cathodic microelectrodes have an electrocatalytic coating and are mutually intercalated at an interelectrodic gap lower than 300 micrometres.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Electrolytic cell for generation of oxidizing radical species consisting of:
a lithographically patterned substrate consisting of a surface,
a multiplicity of finger shaped anodic and cathodic microelectrodes embedded into said surface, said anodic and cathodic microelectrodes being mutually intercalated at an inter-anodic-cathodic gap lower than 100 micrometres and said anodic and cathodic microelectrodes having an average surface roughness R a lower than 0.05 μm, and
an electrolytic solution,

wherein the multiplicity of finger shaped anodic and cathodic microelectrodes embedded on said surface are boron-doped diamond, and wherein the electrolytic cell generates oxidizing radical species.

2. Electrolytic cell according to claim 1 wherein said average surface roughness R a of the anodic and cathodic microelectrodes is lower than 0.01 μm.

3. Electrolytic cell according to claim 1 wherein said lithographically-patternable substrate is made of a semiconductor material.

4. Electrolytic cell according to claim 1 , wherein the boron-doped diamond contains at least 5000 ppm of boron doping.

5. Electrolytic cell for generation of oxidizing radical species consisting of:
a lithographically patterned substrate consisting of an interdigitated surface;
a multiplicity of finger shaped anodic and cathodic microelectrodes formed surrounding each digit of said interdigitated surface, said anodic and cathodic microelectrodes being mutually intercalated at an inter-anodic-cathodic gap lower than 100 micrometres and said anodic and cathodic microelectrodes having an average surface roughness R a lower than 0.05 μm, and
an electrolytic solution,

wherein the electrolytic cell generates oxidizing radical species.

6. Electrolytic cell according to claim 5 , wherein said average surface roughness R a of the anodic and cathodic microelectrodes is lower than 0.01 μm.

7. Electrolytic cell according to claim 5 , wherein at least said anodic microelectrodes comprise an external layer consisting of a vacuum-deposited boron-doped diamond film.

8. Electrolytic cell according to claim 5 , wherein said microelectrodes comprise an external layer made of a material containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of Pt, Pd, Ir, Ru, Rh, Nb and Ti.

9. Electrolytic cell according to claim 5 , wherein said lithographically-patternable substrate is made of a semiconductor material.

Assignees

• Industrie De Nora Spa

Inventors

• Gulla Andrea Francesco

Classifications

• C23C14/18 Primary

  on other inorganic substrates · CPC title

• C23C16/511

  using microwave discharges · CPC title

• C25B11/051

  Electrodes formed of electrocatalysts on a substrate or carrier · CPC title

• C23C16/278

  doping or introduction of a secondary phase in the diamond · CPC title

• C25B1/26

  Chlorine; Compounds thereof (by simultaneous production of alkali metal hydroxides and chlorine, oxyacids or salts of chlorine C25B1/34) · CPC title