New Developments in Electrode Coatings for Chlor-Alkali Processes

Electrolytic cells have been used for the commercial production of chlorine for over a century. For the first 7–8 decades of this period all chlorine produced was liberated at graphite anodes until, in the 1950s, developments by Cotton and Beer led to the introduction of coated titanium anodes which offered greater dimensional stability, lower overpotentials and longer service life. A widespread replacement of graphite took place during the 1970s, but even now a few smaller operators still continue to use graphite anodes. Since the (relatively late!) arrival of the coated titanium anode enormous progress has been made, leading to products specifically designed for a wide range of electrolytic processes.