Effect of rate and direction of solution flow on metal deposition in porous electrodes: The final weight and distribution of the deposit

Using an earlier-developed dynamic model for a porous flow-through electrode (PFE) with a high initial conductivity, the effect of the solution’s flow rate (0.05–10 cm/s) and direction on the final metal weight m _f and uniformity of the metal distribution in the porous matrix is studied. It is found that m _f increases with increasing flow rate. However, the dependence is nonmonotonic: it peaks at intermediate flow rates. The peak is most pronounced in the case of rear supply. At high and very low flow rates, m _f is independent of the flow direction. In the first case, the metal distribution profiles almost coincide, while in the second case they are mirror-opposite. The deposit weight correlates well with the index of uniformity of its distribution: all other factors being equal, the more uniform the deposit distribution in PFE, the larger the m _f. These effects are explained by taking into account the joint effect of profiles of cathodic polarization and concentration of metal ions in PFE.