Studiecentrum Voor Kernenergie, S.c.k.

Vito Nv

Philippe Vermeiren

Roger F Leysen

Walter Adriansens

Yolanda Alvarez Gallego

Gustaaf J Spaepen

Aime E Bruggeman

Andre-Viktor Claes

Jan-Baptist Hugo Vandenborre

Leon H Baetsle

Marcel Monsecour

A process for producing a gas diffusion electrode comprising the steps of: casting a porous electrically conductive web with a suspension of particles of an electrically conductive material in a solution of a first binder to provide a first layer which is an electrochemically active layer (AL); casting a suspension of particles of a hydrophobic material in a solution of a second binder on said first layer to provide a second layer; and subjecting said first and second layer to phase inversion thereby realizing porosity in both said first layer and said second layer, wherein said subjection of said second layer to phase inversion thereby realizes a water repellent layer; a gas diffusion electrode obtained therewith; the use of a gas diffusion electrode in an membrane electrode assembly; a membrane electrode assembly comprising the gas diffusion electrode; and a method of producing a membrane electrode assembly is realized, said membrane electrode assembly comprising a membrane sandwiched between two electrodes at least one of which is a gas diffusion electrode, wherein said method comprises the step of casting said membrane electrode assembly in a single pass.

Gas diffusion electrode, method of producing same, membrane electrode assembly comprising same and method of producing membrane electrode assembly comprising same

Carrier particles whereon a metal from the group VIII of the periodic element system is fixed are dry-mixed with particles from hydrophobic material which is simultaneously a binder and may thus bind the carrier particles together. The thus obtained mixture is subjected to an agglomeration step. The resulting agglomerates are broken. The broken agglomerates are screened and that fraction with a grain size smaller than 1 mm is pressed into a cake at a pressure of 25 kg/cm.sup.2 at the most. The press cake is rolled and catalyst particles are cut from the rolled cake. The catalyst particles are mixed with hydrophilic particles. The thus obtained mixture is used in an isotopic exchange column for separating tritium from aqueous effluents. In this column the effluents are lead in counter-current to gaseous hydrogen.

Method for preparing a catalyst for an isotopic exchange column

The method comprises the steps of preparing a solution of a binder in a solvent, wetting and grinding polyantimonic powder, forming a suspension with the wetted and ground powder and the solvent, mixing the suspension with the solution, pouring on a plate the so obtained viscous liquid, allowing the solvent to evaporate until a membrane in formation begins to dry, removing further the solvent by lixiviation, and removing the membrane from the plate.

Method of preparing a membrane consisting of polyantimonic acid powder

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Wemmel, Belgium

Philippe Vermeiren