Some Aspects of Electrocatalysis

Abstract

To increase our understanding of the electrochemical processes involved during cardiac stimulation by implanted pacemakers, alloys were prepared containing electrocatalytically active platinum group metals and either titanium or tantalum which irreversibly form very inactive oxides. Our work has shown that alloys with as little as 5 per cent platinum group metals exhibit electrochemical characteristics which are more similar to the platinum group metals than to the valve metals. Under some of the conditions certain of these alloys appear to be better electro-catalysts than the platinum group metals. Alloying titanium and tantalum with small amounts of platinum group metals also appears to prevent anodic dissolution of oxide-free titanium and tantalum.