Influence of electrode arrangement method on specific energy consumption and productivity in electrosynthesis of fine graphite powder

Abstract

In this work, the influence of the location of the electrodes on the productivity of electrochemical process and specific energy consumption during direct current electrosynthesis of fine dispersed graphite powder is considered. The authors consider the possibility of using fine dispersed graphite powder obtained by electrolysis as the main component of a multifunctional aerospace coating. For this purpose, two types of devices was constructed: with a coaxial and parallel arrangement of the electrodes. The main elements of the device are a stainless steel cathode and a graphite anode immersed in electrolyte (an aqueous solution of salts). The authors consider the influence of the arrangement of the electrodes in the installation for direct current electrosynthesis from the point of view of the energy efficiency and productivity of electrochemical process. As a result of anodic oxidation, a fine powder from graphite of the MPG-6 brand was obtained. The size of the resulting graphite particles is 4-50 microns. This fine dispersed graphite powder can be used as the main component of a multifunctional coating in aircraft, since it has an even homogeneous structure, as well as higher values of the main mechanical properties of a multifunctional coating, which will lead to a decrease in the number of layers and the thickness of the coating applied. The resulting graphite powder can also be used in the production of fireretardant and heat-insulating materials for the chemical, nuclear industry, instrumentation and heat power engineering.