Inorganic cobalt catalysts are widely studied for their application as water oxidation catalysts. One commercial application of water oxidation catalysts is in zinc electrowinning. Under highly corrosive electrowinning conditions, four-electron water oxidation causes deterioration of lead-silver alloy anodes, which is a costly problem in this industry. It is poorly understood how the activity of a water oxidation catalyst relates to its anticorrosive properties, and in this discussion we show how the presence of water oxidation catalysts both formed in-situ and heterogenized prior to electrolysis on lead anodes affect the electrochemical properties of these anodes toward developing more effective anti-corrosion layers. By changing the organic environment around the active metal in these anti-corrosion layers, we are able to elucidate structure-function relationships for catalyst durability.

Structure-function relationships in cobalt water oxidation electrocatalysts and their application for zinc electrorefining

2019 Spring National Meeting

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