Multi-species electrolyte migration kinetics with directed flow

• Investigates migration of ionic species during electrolysis in a dual-chamber electrochemical cell without a membrane. • Experiments confirm migration is the dominant ion transport mechanism under mild convective mixing conditions. • Cell design enables simultaneous species drawdown at the cathode and oxidant synthesis at the anode. • Allows extended utilization of anion species and regeneration of electrolyte, reducing waste generation. This paper investigates an electrochemical process designed to control mixing kinetics in liquid electrolytes. The process utilizes an electrochemical cell with anode and cathode chambers connected by a channel without a membrane. This configuration depletes multiple electroactive species in the cathode chamber while selectively replenishing them in the anode chamber. A key application is the removal of impurity species from the cathode chamber electrolyte and the selective replenishment of primary electroactive species in the anode chamber. Aqueous cell experiments were conducted to validate the theoretical model, and simulations were performed for molten salt electrolytes. This approach minimizes waste by reducing the need for additional electrolyte supplies and extends the utilization of anion species, contributing to environmentally sustainable electrochemical materials processing.