Electrodeposition of platinum on 3D-printed titanium mesh to produce tailored, high area anodes

ABSTRACT

The versatility and convenience of 3D printing can be used to produce tailored metal mesh electrodes, which offer a high volumetric area and good gas release properties for applications in electrochemical technology. In this work, a titanium mesh with 20 ppi triangular pores was designed and then manufactured by 3D printing. A thin coating of platinum with strong adhesion was then applied by electrodeposition in a solution of hexachloroplatinic acid in HCl at 90°C. For this, a current of 0.1 A, corresponding to a current density of 0.92 mA cm⁻² was applied for 60 min to the work piece, which was previously etched in 10% (w/v) oxalic acid at 80°C. Compact, adherent and silver-grey platinum deposits, 0.16 µm average thickness and 0.33 mg cm⁻² Pt loading were obtained. The product can be used as an inert anode in nickel plating baths and as a porous electrode in organic electrosynthesis or cerium-based flow batteries.

KEYWORDS:

• Additive manufacturing
• electroplating
• mesh
• metal foam
• porous electrode
• platinum
• platinised titanium
• three-dimensional electrode

Acknowledgements

Aspects related to this study were presented by LFA in the Schwäbisch Gmünd Prize lecture under the title ‘Catalytic metal coatings on porous and 3D printed electrodes for electrochemical flow reactors: Prospects and the role of X-ray CT’ at Electrochem 2019, Glasgow, UK, on 28th August 2019. LFA gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Ms. Berenice Miranda Alcántara in laboratory tasks during her academic visit to the University of Southampton.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

L. F. Arenas https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9579-5082

C. Ponce de León https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1907-5913

F. C. Walsh http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4662-4313