D/H ISOTOPE-SEPARATION EFFICIENCY IN WATER ELECTROLYSIS - IMPROVEMENT BY IN-SITU ACTIVATION AT DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES

A remarkable improvement of the separation factors of hydrogen isotopes (D/H) during alkaline water electrolysis has been achieved by the in situ activation of various substrates with addition of tris-(ethylenediamine)-Co(III)-chloride complex during the electrolytic process. Several spectroscopic and electrochemical methods have been employed to characterize the electrodes and electrolyte in order to suggest possible mechanisms and their contributions to the achieved separation factors. Temperature dependence of the separation factors over as wide a temperature range as possible (-20 to +80-degrees-C), as an intrinsic criterion for their evaluation. was studied and discussed in comparison with the existing literature data.