JPH111790A - Electrode for electrolysis of water - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrode for electrolysis of water which is hardly deformable and is installable in a narrow space as well even if the electrode has a vast area. SOLUTION: This electrode for electrolysis of water is constituted by forming many folds 9 on a laminated electrode 1, which is constituted by disposing and laminating sheet-like electrode plates having many apertures on both surfaces, to a corrugated form and using the one electrode plate of the electrode as anode and the other electrode plate as cathode. This laminated electrode 1 is the laminated electrode plate obtd. by laminating the sheet-like electrode plates having the many apertures on both surfaces of a sheet-like nonconductive material having the many apertures or the laminate electrode plate obtd. by successively laminating a sheetlike nonconductive material having the many apertures and a sheetlike electrode plate having the many apertures respectively on both surfaces of a sheet-like diaphragm.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrode for electrolyzing an aqueous solution containing water and an electrolyte, and more particularly to sterilizing water by electrolyzing water or producing acidic and alkaline ionized water. And an electrode for electrolysis of water suitable for generating oxygen and hydrogen.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is conventionally known to electrolyze an aqueous solution containing water and an electrolyte to sterilize water, produce acidic and alkaline ionized water, and produce oxygen and hydrogen. I have. In recent years, utilizing this phenomenon, various methods have been proposed for producing alkaline ionized water as healthy drinking water, or producing acidic water as sterilized water, and sterilizing water. An apparatus has been proposed (Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-28439, Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-57394, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei.
No. 68). In such conventional electrolysis of water, an electrolyzer in which a cathode and an anode are independently arranged with a space therebetween, and a diaphragm is arranged between the cathode and the anode has been used.

[0003] Conventionally, when it is intended to electrolyze a solution such as water containing little electrolyte or high-purity water, the distance between the negative and positive electrodes should be as small as possible because of the high electric resistance of the solution. The electrode area is increased by using a plurality of electrodes, and the voltage is set higher to perform electrolysis. In order to increase the concentration of ionic water to be produced, measures such as performing electrolytic treatment of the solution in multiple stages using a plurality of electrodes are taken. There is a problem that becomes complicated.

Therefore, the present inventor did not face the negative electrode and the positive electrode first, but arranged each electrode so as to face outside, that is, toward the back, and made the side where both electrodes faced a non-conductive material. By forming a laminated structure in which a diaphragm is disposed between the non-conductive materials, an electrolysis reaction is caused on the back electrode surface to generate ions and gas, and ions existing in the solution move to the opposite pole side. And proposed an electrode for water electrolysis capable of increasing the ion concentration in the solution (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-276184, Japanese Patent Application No. 8-246).
No. 015). Furthermore, the present inventor has found that a sheet-like conductive material having a large number of through-holes on both sides of a sheet-like non-conductive material having a large number of through-holes is particularly suitable for water sterilization treatment. An electrode for electrolysis of water has been proposed in which materials are laminated and a hole is formed through the sheet-shaped non-conductive material and the sheet-shaped conductive material. 207146).

[0005] The laminated electrode in which two electrode plates are laminated as proposed by the present inventor is a sheet-shaped non-conductive material,
By laminating the diaphragm and the conductive material, the film between the anode and the cathode is made as narrow as possible, and at the same time, the area of the electrode is made large, so that the electrolysis of a solution having high electric resistance such as water can be efficiently performed. Although it is effective, it is easy to bend because it is in the form of a sheet, and thus has the advantage of being easily processed, but has the disadvantage of being twisted when used. Also, when a laminated electrode having a large area is to be used in a planar state, the bonding between the sheet-like diaphragm, which is the electrode material, and the non-conductive material and the conductive material is firmly performed with an adhesive or a screw. If not fixed, the sheet materials of the laminated electrodes will peel off from each other, and the gap between the electrode and the diaphragm, the gap between the diaphragm and the non-conductive material, or the gap between the non-conductive material and the conductive material And the distance between the anode and the cathode is widened, and a predetermined electrolysis efficiency cannot be obtained.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the above-mentioned laminated electrode is partially adhered or fixed by screws without fixing with a strong adhesive or screws over the entire surface of the laminated sheet material. Just use the fixing method,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrode for water electrolysis that can maintain predetermined performance without causing separation between sheet-like materials even when the electrode is used for a long time. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electrode for water electrolysis capable of accommodating an electrode having a large area in a narrow space.

[0007]

That is, the present invention provides a laminated electrode formed by arranging and laminating a sheet-like electrode plate having a large number of openings on both sides to form a corrugated plate with a large number of folds. An electrode for electrolysis of water, characterized in that one of the electrodes is an anode and the other is a cathode [Claim 1]. More specifically, the present invention provides a multi-layered electrode formed by laminating a sheet-like electrode plate having a large number of openings on both sides of a sheet-shaped non-conductive material having a large number of openings. An electrode for electrolysis of water, characterized in that the electrode is a corrugated plate, one of the electrodes being an anode and the other being a cathode [Claim 2]. Further, the present invention also provides a laminated electrode formed by sequentially laminating a sheet-shaped non-conductive material having a large number of openings and a sheet-shaped electrode plate having a large number of openings on both surfaces of a sheet-shaped diaphragm, respectively. An electrode for electrolysis of water, characterized in that a corrugated plate is formed with a large number of folds, one of the electrodes being an anode and the other being a cathode [Claim 3].

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The electrode for electrolysis of water in the present invention has a laminated electrode structure in which a sheet-like electrode plate having a large number of openings is arranged on both sides and laminated. First, the laminated structure of the electrode for electrolysis will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a laminated structure of an electrode (1) for electrolysis of water according to the second aspect. The electrode for electrolysis (1) has a structure in which electrode plates (4) and (5) made of a sheet-like conductive material are laminated on both sides of a sheet-like non-conductive material (2). A large number of openings (3) are perforated in the sheet-shaped non-conductive material (2). A large number of openings (6) are perforated in the sheet-like electrode plate (4), and a large number of openings (7) are perforated in the electrode plate (5). The opening (3) of the sheet-shaped non-conductive material (2), the opening (6) of the sheet-shaped electrode plate (4), and the opening (7) of the sheet-shaped electrode plate (5). Is disposed so that a through-hole exists. In the electrode for electrolysis of FIG. 1, the movement of electrons between the electrodes during the electrolysis and the movement of the anions and cations generated by the electrolysis to the counter electrode are carried out through an aqueous solution filling a hole penetrating the electrode. Since the distance between the cathode and the anode is the sum of the thicknesses of the sheet-shaped non-conductive material and the sheet-shaped electrode plate, the distance between the electrodes can be extremely reduced as compared with the conventional distance between the electrodes. Even if the electric resistance of the water at the time is high, the power efficiency can be increased.

FIG. 2 shows a laminated structure of an electrode (1) for electrolysis of water according to the third aspect. This electrode (1) for electrolysis is a sheet-like non-conductive material having openings on both sides of a diaphragm (8) instead of the sheet-like non-conductive material (2) in the invention according to claim 1 shown in FIG. This is one in which conductive materials are laminated. That is, the electrode for electrolysis (1) according to the second aspect has a diaphragm (8) as a center, and a sheet-like non-conductive material (2) and a sheet-like electrode plate (4) are sequentially provided on one surface thereof. It has a structure in which a sheet-shaped non-conductive material (2) and a sheet-shaped electrode plate (5) are sequentially stacked on the other surface. The diaphragm (8) has no opening, but has a sheet-like non-conductive material (2).
The electrode plate (4) has an opening (3), the electrode plate (4) has an opening (6), and the electrode plate (5) has an opening (7).
Are perforated. The hole (2) and the hole (6) and the hole (2) and the hole (7) are arranged so as to have holes penetrating therethrough. In the electrode for electrolysis of FIG. 2, the electrolysis reaction occurs between the electrodes facing backward without facing each other, and the movement of electrons between the electrodes during electrolysis and the anion and cation generated by electrolysis toward the counter electrode. Movement is performed through the diaphragm through a hole through the electrode. The distance between the cathode and the anode is the sum of the thicknesses of the sheet-like diaphragm, sheet-like non-conductive material, and sheet-like electrode plate. Thus, even if the electric resistance of water during electrolysis is high, the power efficiency can be increased.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the electrode for water electrolysis of the present invention. That is, FIG. 1 or FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the electrode for electrolysis having a laminated structure shown in FIG. Reference numeral 1 denotes an electrode for electrolysis, which is the laminated electrode shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. (9) is a fold. The fold lines of the fold (9) may or may not be parallel. This fold may be a curved curve or a fold that is bent at an acute angle.
cm, preferably 0.5 to 30 cm. The width of the fold is reduced as the thickness of the electrode is reduced, and is increased as the thickness of the electrode is increased. That is, in the case of a thin electrode having a thickness of about 200 μm, the fold width is appropriately 0.5 to 3 cm, and in the case of an electrode having a thickness of 3 mm, the fold width is 5 to 30 c.
m is appropriate. The fold is formed over the entire surface of the electrode excluding the portion where the terminal is attached and the portion where the terminal is fixed to the container. Then, one of the corrugated electrodes is used as an anode and the other electrode is used as a cathode for electrolysis of water.

The electrode for electrolysis of water of the present invention is characterized in that the laminated electrode is creased and corrugated as described above. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, the water electrolysis electrode of the present invention comprises a sheet-shaped non-conductive material having a large number of openings and a sheet-shaped electrode plate having a large number of openings. A stacked electrode or a stacked electrode in which a sheet-shaped diaphragm, a sheet-shaped non-conductive material having a large number of openings, and a sheet-shaped electrode plate having a large number of openings are stacked. Because each is a thin sheet,
It is easy to bend and twist. By forming a large number of folds in a corrugated shape on the electrode for electrolysis made by laminating the sheet-like materials, it is possible to structurally have a strong strength in the vertical direction. Further, even if the sheet material to be laminated is not firmly adhered with an adhesive or the like over the entire surface of the sheet material or fixed with screws, the sheet-like diaphragm, the sheet-like non-conductive material, and the sheet-like electrode plate can be used between the respective materials. Peeling and relative displacement are less likely to occur, the electrode shape is less likely to be deformed even during long-term use, and an electrode that appropriately maintains the distance between the anode and the cathode can be obtained.

The sheet-shaped non-conductive material (2) is made of polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, polystyrene resin, polyethylene terephthalate resin, vinyl chloride resin, ABS resin, polyamide resin, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, polyvinyl fluoride resin. , Ceramics, natural rubber, SBR, silicon rubber, chloroprene rubber, fluorine rubber, etc., a plate made of cloth such as glass fiber, cotton, synthetic fiber or a net, etc., or a non-conductive plate. A coating film of a paint or a film of a synthetic resin may be used. This sheet of non-conductive material is a layer provided for insulation, and has a thickness of 1 μm to 3 mm. In order to provide a large number of openings in a sheet-shaped non-conductive material, it is usual to perform perforation. The diameter of this hole is 1 to 20 mm, and the pitch (interval) is preferably 1.5 to 25 mm. Further, a net-shaped non-conductive material may be used instead of the sheet-shaped non-conductive material having the holes.

The above-mentioned sheet-like electrode plates (4) and (5) are sheet-like materials made of a conductive material and include aluminum, copper, lead, nickel, chromium, titanium, stainless steel, gold, platinum, Iron oxide, graphite, carbon fiber, etc., but white metal, that is, platinum, ruthenium, rhodium,
Palladium, osmium and iridium are preferred. Further, a material obtained by plating a white metal on the above conductive material is also used. The thickness of this electrode plate is about 5 μm to 5 mm, but is usually 20 μm to 1 mm. Also, a large number of openings are provided in the electrode plate by drilling. The diameter of this hole is 1 to 20 mm, and the pitch (interval) is preferably 1.5 to 25 mm. Further, a metal net or a carbon fiber cloth may be used for both or one of the sheet-like electrode plates (4) and (5).

The above-mentioned sheet-like diaphragm (8) is made of polyvinyl fluoride fiber, polyvinyl chloride fiber, polyvinylidene chloride fiber, polyester fiber, aromatic polyamide fiber, chlorinated polyethylene, asbestos, glass wool,
Examples include woven or non-woven fabric such as carbon fiber and fibrous activated carbon, paper, cellophane, and ion exchange resin. This diaphragm is mainly used for the purpose of separating ions and gases generated at the anode and cathode by electrolysis. Therefore, the diaphragm does not need to be present at the time of the sterilization treatment of water, but it is necessary to use the diaphragm at the time of producing alkaline and acidic ionic water, producing hydrogen gas or oxygen gas. The thickness of the diaphragm is 1 μm
５5 mm. For the purpose of water sterilization or the like, a diaphragm may be used but may not be used, and a net or the like having a larger opening than a normal diaphragm may be used.

The corrugated electrode for electrolysis of the present invention is used in various modes. That is, it may be installed in a water storage tank and used for electrolysis, or may be installed in running water and used for electrolysis. When the electrodes are attached, there are cases where the folds are attached vertically and cases where the folds are attached horizontally. When mounting vertically, the direction of the fold is the same as the direction in which the gas generated by electrolysis rises as bubbles.
There is a feature that does not hinder the gas flow. On the other hand, if you attach the folds horizontally and allow the water to flow from the bottom up,
The fold of the electrode has the effect of stirring the flow.
Further, if the corrugated plate-shaped electrode is formed into a cylindrical shape, it is suitable for installation in a pipe-shaped container.

Next, an example of use of the electrode for electrolysis of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is an assembly diagram of an apparatus for producing alkaline water and acidic water using the electrode for electrolysis of the present invention.
(10) is an electrolysis tank, (11) is the bottom of the electrolysis tank,
(12) is an upper plate of the electrolysis tank. (1) is a water splitting electrode of the present invention shown in FIG.
(13) and (14) are water supply pipes, (15) and (1)
6) is a water discharge pipe. The electrolysis tank (10) can have any size depending on the purpose and location of use of the electrolysis tank, and can have any shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped, a cube, or a cylinder.
In this example, it is a rectangular parallelepiped. In this electrolytic bath (10), the corrugated electrode (1) is divided into two electrolytic baths (10).
The chamber and the chamber B are arranged so as to be formed. That is, the electrolysis tank (10) is completely divided into the chamber A and the chamber B by the corrugated electrode (1).

In the room A, a water supply pipe (13) for supplying raw water is provided at the bottom (11), and a water discharge pipe (15) for discharging the electrolyzed water and gas is provided on the upper plate (15). 1
It is provided in 2). A water supply pipe (14) for supplying raw water is also provided at the bottom (11) in the chamber B, and a water discharge pipe (16) for discharging electrolyzed water and gas is provided on the upper plate (12). Have been. Terminals connected to a power supply are provided on the electrode plates on both sides of the corrugated plate-like electrode (1). (17) is a baffle plate for controlling the flow of water and improving the contact with the electrode plate, and is made of a synthetic resin plate. This baffle may or may not be present,
In addition, the through hole (17) may have a through hole.

In the electrolysis using the electrolysis apparatus of the present invention, raw water is supplied from water supply pipes (13) and (14), the electrolysis tank is filled with water, and current is supplied to the electrode plate through terminals. . The water supply is continuous. Then, the supplied water collides with the corrugated electrode plate and is electrolyzed while being in contact therewith. At this time, it is preferable to provide a baffle (17) in order to prevent water flowing along the wall of the electrolysis tank. The baffle (17) preferably projects from the wall of the electrolysis tank. The water moves while being electrolyzed, and is continuously discharged from the water discharge pipes (15) and (16). For example, when a current flows through the electrode in the room A as a cathode and the electrode in the room B as an anode, alkaline ionized water and hydrogen gas are discharged from the water discharge pipe (16) in the room B, and the water in the room A is discharged. Discharge pipe (1
From 5), acidic ionized water and oxygen gas are discharged. Thus, alkali ion water and acidic ion water can be obtained efficiently.

In the above example, the electrolysis tank is of a vertical type, in which raw water is supplied from below and electrolysis is performed while raising the water. The electrolysis may be carried out while being moved. Further, it is preferable that the corrugated plate-like electrodes are arranged such that the electrodes block the flow of water. Further, the water supply pipe and the water discharge pipe may be provided on the side wall of the electrolysis tank instead of the bottom or the lid of the electrolysis tank. Further, if an activated carbon treatment device is attached to the alkaline water outlet of these devices, more delicious water can be obtained as much as impurities are removed by activated carbon, and bacteria and bacteria that tend to propagate on activated carbon can be sterilized. Also,
The electrode of the present invention can be made into an alkaline ionized water producing apparatus of a type attached to a water tap by taking advantage of the feature of being small and light, and further used for a sterilizing apparatus such as drinking water, cooling water, bath water and agricultural water. You may.

[0020]

【Example】

Example 1 A hole having a hole diameter of 4.5 mm was formed as a non-conductive material at a pitch of 6 mm.
On the both sides of a 200 μm-thick polyethylene sheet provided on the entire surface at intervals of, a 20 μm-thick titanium plate provided on the entire surface with holes having a diameter of 4.5 mm at an interval of 6 mm.
A sheet-shaped conductive material (electrode plate) plated with μm of platinum was arranged and laminated as shown in FIG. At this time, the holes in the polyethylene sheet were made to coincide with the holes in the sheet-shaped conductive material. This width 11.5cm, length 29cm
16 folds having a width of 1.6 cm and being parallel in the lateral direction as shown in FIG. Further, a (+) terminal was connected to one of the conductive materials, and a (-) terminal was connected to the other. The electrode was placed in a container filled with 8 liters of tap water and a DC voltage of 10 volts was applied.
A current of 2.8 amps flowed and water electrolysis could be performed. This proves that a sheet-shaped electrode of only 330 cm ² can easily flow a relatively large current of about 3 amps even in a water having a large electric resistance such as tap water even at a low voltage of 10 volts.
Various types of water sterilization became possible. In addition, the large number of folds not only increased the long-term shape stability, but also facilitated the installation of the electrode for electrolysis in a narrow space such as a gap between a pipe and a container.

Example 2 A sheet-like diaphragm having a thickness of 0.17 mm was prepared by coating a chlorinated polyethylene with a polyester nonwoven fabric as an aggregate. A titanium plate having a thickness of 0.2 mm is formed on a titanium plate having a thickness of 0.2 mm in which holes having a diameter of 4.5 mm are provided on the entire surface at intervals of 6 mm.
An epoxy resin (a non-conductive material) was applied to one surface of a 5 μm platinum-plated sheet-shaped conductive material (an electrode plate). Electrode plates were laminated on both sides of the sheet-like diaphragm with the epoxy-coated surface facing the diaphragm to prepare an electrode for water electrolysis as shown in FIG. The electrode having a width of 15 cm and a length of 31 cm was provided with twelve folds as shown in FIG. In addition, one of the conductive materials (+)
And the other terminal was connected to the (−) terminal.
An electrolyzer as shown in FIG. 4 was assembled using the corrugated electrodes. When a 6-volt DC voltage was applied and a current of 8 amps was passed, a 0.03% concentration saline solution was electrolyzed at a flow rate of 120 liters / hour. From the anode side, a pH of 2.7 was obtained. 60 liters / hour of acidic water and 1.6 liters / hour of oxygen gas were obtained. From the cathode side, 60 liters / hour of alkaline water having a pH of 11.3 and 3.2 liters / hour of hydrogen gas were obtained. Was.

[0022]

Since the electrode for water electrolysis according to the present invention is formed by bending an electrode obtained by laminating the above-mentioned sheet-like material into a corrugated plate, it is light in weight, simple in structure, small in size and efficiently at low voltage with low voltage. Is electrolyzed, which is suitable for the development of an apparatus suitable for producing acidic and alkaline ionized water, producing oxygen or hydrogen gas, or sterilizing water by electrolysis. Furthermore, since the electrode of the present invention can easily enlarge the electrode area without complicating the structure, electrolysis of pure water or ultrapure water having an electric resistance that is two to three orders of magnitude higher than that of tap water can be achieved. It is also suitable for devices. In addition, the electrode of the present invention is small and lightweight, making it easy to produce an alkaline ionized water producing apparatus or a water sterilizing apparatus to be attached to a water tap. Further, if an activated carbon treatment device is attached to the outlet of the present device, more delicious water can be obtained as much as impurities are removed by activated carbon, and bacteria and bacteria that tend to propagate on activated carbon can be sterilized. Since the electrode for water electrolysis of the present invention has a large number of folds in the form of a corrugated sheet on the electrode obtained by laminating the above-mentioned sheet-like materials, it can have a strong strength in the vertical direction structurally, and is further laminated. Even if the sheet material is not firmly adhered to the entire surface of the sheet material with an adhesive or fixed with screws, peeling or relative movement between the sheet-shaped diaphragm, sheet-shaped non-conductive material, and sheet-shaped electrode plate material can be achieved. It is possible to obtain an electrode which is less likely to cause a positional shift, is less likely to be deformed even after long-term use, and maintains a proper distance between the anode and the cathode.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially developed perspective view of an example of a water electrolysis electrode of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially developed perspective view of an example of a water electrolysis electrode of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a water electrolysis electrode of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a water electrolysis apparatus using the electrode for electrolysis of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 electrode 2 non-conductive material 3, 6, 7 hole 4, 5 conductive material (electrode plate) 8 diaphragm 9 fold 10 electrolytic bath 13, 14 water supply pipe 15, 16 water discharge pipe, 17 baffle plate

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A laminated electrode formed by arranging and laminating a sheet-like electrode plate having a large number of openings on both sides thereof is formed into a corrugated shape by forming a large number of folds, and one of the electrode plates is On the anode,
An electrode for electrolysis of water, wherein the other electrode plate is used as a cathode. 2. A corrugated sheet comprising a plurality of sheet-like electrode plates having a number of openings formed on both sides of a sheet-shaped non-conductive material having a number of openings. An electrode for electrolysis of water, wherein one of the electrodes is an anode and the other is a cathode. 3. A laminated electrode formed by sequentially laminating a sheet-shaped non-conductive material having a large number of openings and a sheet-shaped electrode plate having a large number of openings on both surfaces of a sheet-shaped diaphragm. An electrode for electrolysis of water, wherein a corrugated plate is formed with a large number of folds, and one of the electrodes is an anode and the other is a cathode.