The photo is sourced from rscf.ru
One of the study objectives was search for the substance that may be source of electricity in conditions of oxygen deficiency typical for deep mines, underwater and open space. The chemical reaction of obtaining electricity is accompanied by transfer of electrons from one component to another: the particles transferring electrons are called reducing agents, and the receiving particles are called oxidising agents, the role of which is played by oxygen, easily available in the atmosphere. Oxygen-containing chlorine compounds can perform this function when oxygen is scarce, while molecular hydrogen, which is suitable for storage in a compressed form, is used as a reducing agent.
The research team conducted an experiment in an electrochemical cell consisting of two electrodes, through one of which gaseous hydrogen was passed, and through the other – a chlorate electrolyte (the substance becoming conductive due dissociation into ions). Preliminary calculations showed that chlorates (such as sodium chlorate) are highly soluble in water and have a high energy potential, which makes possible usage of their solutions as oxidants with a high energy density. In this case, the reaction product was supposed to be a sodium salt solution, the disposal of which is safe for the environment. These calculations were confirmed by the experiment, which resulted in electricity generation by a combination of chlorate anions (ClO3-) and molecular hydrogen, with chloride anion (CI-) formation. The efficiency of chemical energy conversion into electricity was 40% to 50%.
“We managed to implement in a laboratory setup a rather elegant idea expanding the limits of applicability of the “fuel of the future” — gaseous hydrogen. We have demonstrated possibility to use its chemical energy for electricity generation without participation of atmospheric oxygen. Instead, we used as the oxidiser, rather cheap and accessible substances (metal chlorates in the form of an aqueous solution), previously considered unsuitable for chemical current sources due to low electrochemical activity,” the Russian Science Foundation quotes Dmitry Konev, PhD in chemistry, senior researcher at the Federal Research Center of Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry RAS.
