N2O dissolution with Couette-Taylor flow mixer for the effective electrochemical N2O reduction reaction

The intrinsic solubility of a gaseous substance and its dissolution rate play important roles in carrying out electrochemical reaction of gaseous reactant, in addition to the activity of catalyst. We tried to increase the solubility and dissolution rate of N2O by introducing Taylor vortices using a Couette-Taylor flow (CTF) mixer and investigated how the enhanced N2O dissolution affected the electrochemical reduction of N2O. The solubility and saturation time were estimated by electrochemical measurement of N2O concentration in the electrolyte solution. It was found that the Taylor vortices could not only increase the solubility of N2O but also reduce the time required to saturate the electrolyte with N2O. Furthermore, a high N2O conversion rate via electrochemical reduction was obtained with the introduction of Taylor vortices. We proved that an enhanced solubility and dissolution rate of the gaseous substance could be attained by using a CTF mixer as one of the alternatives for enhancing the electrochemical reaction of a gaseous substance in an aqueous electrolyte solution.