Indirect (hydrogen-driven) electrodeposition of porous silver onto a palladium membrane

• Main Authors: Tinakorn Kanyanee, Philip J. Fletcher, Elena Madrid, Frank Marken
• Format: Journal
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Chemistry; Engineering; Materials Science
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=85083823302&origin=inward; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/jspui/handle/6653943832/70408
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

© 2020, The Author(s). Hydrogen permeation through a pure palladium film (25 μm thickness, optically dense) is employed to trigger electron transfer (hydrogen-driven) reactions at the external palladium | aqueous electrolyte interface of a two-compartment electrochemical cell. Two systems are investigated to demonstrate feasibility for (i) indirect hydrogen-mediated silver electrodeposition with externally applied potential and (ii) indirect hydrogen-mediated silver electrodeposition driven by external formic acid decomposition. In both cases, porous metal deposits form as observed by optical and electron microscopies. Processes are self-limited as metal deposition blocks the palladium surface and thereby slows down further hydrogen permeation. The proposed methods could be employed for a wider range of metals, and they could provide an alternative (non-electrochemical or indirect) procedure for metal removal or metal recovery processes or for indirect metal sensing. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].