MAGNETO special anodes (Suzhou) Co.,Ltd.

The Engine of Electrochemical Systems

THE electrode is the “heart” of the electrochemical systems or devices. The performance of the electrode has a direct effect on the electrolysis efficiency, energy consumption and operation stability of the electrochemical systems. As the world leading manufacturer of precious metal electrode, MAGNETO has established a close partnership with numerous suppliers of electrochemical systems, working together to provide the best solutions to the end users.

The Original Inventor of Titanium Anodes

The Titanium anode was invented in the 1950s. As a new electrode material, it has brought revolutionary breakthroughs to the electrochemical applications, making many impossibilities become possible. Among others, Henri Beer, a legendary inventor and his company MAGENTO have played an indispensable role.

With the help of a wine maker Jansen family, Beer built a laboratory in an abandoned cellar to develop the magic ferrite magnetic power. In order to find a suitable electrode material for such harsh applications, Beer invented the insoluble titanium-based electroplated platinum anode, which was superior to the traditional graphite or pure platinum electrode in terms of cost, processing and properties. Beer realized that such special composite electrode composed of two metals may have a broad application prospect and thus soon applied for a patent in 1957. Soon afterwards, he founded a company together with the Jansen family named Magneto Chemie, a homonym of magnetic materials.

In the same year, ICI, one of the largest industrial companies in UK, also invented a similar product. But unfortunately, its patent application was rejected since Beer submitted the application just weeks ago. Reluctantly, ICI proposed a joint development to Magneto, and their cooperation lasted till 1965. During the cooperation, Beer advised the use of ruthenium oxide coating instead of the expensive platinum to lower the cost and increase electrolytic efficiency, but this idea was rejected by many people at ICI. After they broke up, each party had a completely different view on who owned the patent and even brought this case to the court.

In a rage, Beer sold the patent of electrode technology to Denora, an emerging Italian equipment manufacturer in the chlor-alkali industry and helped Denora take the lead in applying such new anode technology in the chlor-alkali industry. With such an innovative technology, Denora made a major blow to the similar business of ICI in the market of chlor-alkali equipment. Although venting his grievances, but Beer’s act was a point of controversy at the time by many people.

The invention of Titanium anode is regarded as one of the greatest inventions in the field of electrochemistry in the 20th century, especially the electrocatalytic characteristic of the noble metallic oxide electrode identified by Henri Beer completely changed the traditional understanding about metallic oxide. In 1986, Henri Beer was awarded the honorary doctor’s degree by Eindhoven University in the Netherlands for his outstanding contribution in the field of electrochemistry. At the awarding ceremony, Henri Beer commented: “I didn’t receive any higher education, and all my gains originated from my persistence, enthusiasm, intuition and opportunity. My inventions did not make me rich, but the world has become a better place.”

Electrolysis and Titanium Anodes

Electrolysis is the process of oxidation/reduction of chemicals on the electrode surface by passing electrical current through an electrolyte, in the form of either aqueous solution or molten salt.

This process is an essential part in many electrochemical applications, such as chlor alkali production, metal plating, electrowinning, and water electrolysis etc. In 1834, the British scientist Michael Faraday (1791-1867) published his research about the quantitative relationships during the electrolytic process - Faraday’s law of electrolysis: M=KQ=KIT. The Faraday’s law states that the amount of material produced at an electrode during an electrochemical reaction is in proportion to the total electrical charge. Up to today, this law is still the fundamental principle in the calculation of electrolysis.

Electrodes are materials that connect electronic conductors (such as metal conductors) to ionic conductors (such as electrolyte solutions). The electrode works as catalyst during the electrolysis process, and sometimes itself is part of the process reaction (eg. Soluble anodes). Traditionally, Graphite electrodes or soluble electrodes were widely used in electrolysis. Due to poor mechanical properties and unstable dimension caused by dissolution, the electrolysis with these anodes is difficult to be realized or is very energy consuming. This has limited the development of the electrochemical industry.

In 1957, Dr. Henri Beer invented the precious metal coated Ti electrode. This invention has made a great breakthrough in the electrolysis process and related industrial applications. With excellent properties such as dimensional stability, zero contamination, lower energy consumption due to lower over potential and smaller electrode gaps, the Titanium electrode has been regarded as one of the greatest inventions in the electrochemical industry in the 20th century. The novel discovery of the electrochemical catalytic properties of the metal oxide has changed people's traditional understanding about metal oxides, and stimulated many developments and applications of high-end electrolysis processes.

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MAGNETO special anodes (Suzhou) Co.,Ltd.

Founded in 1957, MAGNETO special anodes, is the inventor and the original manufacturer of titanium-based insoluble anodes. The titanium anode is made of inert Titanium substrate, coated with mixed precious metal oxide, which is an excellent catalytic electrode material for electrochemical systems and processes. In the past few decades, MAGNETO has been focused on the development and manufacture of customized titanium anode products for demanding applications.

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