Dynamics of the filling of a porous cathode by the deposited metal: Modeling the process and analyzing the case of high cathode conductance and low solution depletion degree

A dynamic model for a porous electrode is designed on the basis of a one-dimensional representation of the electrode in the form of parallel filaments. The method takes into account the alterations in the local values of the filament diameter (and, correspondingly, in the effective conductances of phases), porosity, the velocity of a linear flow, and the mass transfer coefficient for the deposited metal ions, which occur in the course of the metal electrodeposition. For the simplest version of dynamics, at a high initial conductance of the electrode and a small solution depletion degree, the method predicts the following specific features: (i) the development of the working surface area and an increase in the current efficiency for the metal associated with it, (ii) a decrease in the metal penetration depth into the electrode with time and the metal localization near the most loaded end, and (iii) an irregular change in the current efficiency and concentration of the metal at the exit out of the electrode.Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 3, 2005, pp. 333–342.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Maslii, Poddubnyi, Medvedev.