5 Bears Research LLC

5 Bears Research LLC

If you want to visit the old 5 Bears Metalworking Hobby Pages, here they are. I know I haven't updated them in ages, and I'm not sure that I will again. I continue to enjoy my metalworking hobby, but have branched into a business that I find every bit as fulfilling, but most will probably find dry as a bone... electrochemical research, and electrochemistry in general. The primary emphasis right now is the use of valve metal substrates such as Titanium and Tantalum as carriers for mixed metal oxide and other catalytic coatings. Anodes constructed of these materials have been around for decades, but all of them, in their current form, have limitations. My desire is to remove as many of those limitations as possible, and create anodes of superior efficiency, strength, and of course, at a reduced cost. All work is currently at the prototype stage, where it will likely remain for the forseeable future.

This website will remain a work in progress, probably for quite some time. As we find time, we will try and update it with some of the research being conducted, but for now, it is little more than a "placeholder" for lack of a better term. We hope soon to update contacts and include links for some of the more interesting projects currently underway here at 5 Bears Research.

Freshly plated PbO2 over MMO

Much of the preliminary research which brought 5 Bears into modern chemistry consisted of new and hopefully viable methods of electroplating Lead Dioxide onto both MMO (Mixed Metal Oxide) coated Titanium mesh, and heavily prepared (but otherwise bare) Titanium. Ti is the current valve metal of choice for our research, mainly because of its lower price but still excellent behavior chemically in the baths we use. Adhesion of the electrodeposited coating remains a problem, but careful surface preparation and the use of polyoxyethylene surfactants such as Triton X-100 and the more commonly available Tween 20 shows promise. Classic grain refiners like nickel nitrate have also been used with success. A photomicrograph of a section of Lead Dioxide over a Ruthenium-based MMO coating shows a fine grain, and a crystalline structure both even, and of a very high surface area, indicative of an effective catalytic anode.

Microphotograph of plated PbO2 over MMO showing excellent grain refinement.

We believe the future, however, is in the use of the Sol-Gel process to create durable anodes inexpensively, and of great durability and efficiency, with the use of Boehmite, or Aluminum Oxide Hydroxide, as a carrier for the necessary catalysts. Basically, the sol-gel process starts with a solution (the "sol" part of sol-gel) which, when combined with the necessary carriers and catalysts, forms a network (the "gel") of either discrete particles or polymeric materials. Metal oxides undergo hydrolysis and form a colloidal suspension, allowing a potential "dip/dry/bake" process onto the valve-metal substrate. Problematic low volume fraction of the metal oxide component can be increased by selecting the appropriate carrier. This is a vast oversimplification of a complex process, but as an introduction into our current research, describes fairly accurately our goal. Much research is currently underway in this field, and the challenges will be great. Relatively pure Boehmite is available commercially, and in great quantity, from companies like BASF and especially SASOL, who can offer tailored Boehmites for specific processes and needs. They have been exceptionally helpful to us in our fledgeling attemps at the use of this material. Gamma Aluminum Oxide Hydroxide will assemble into a variety of shapes and sizes depending upon the environment. Nanotubules, platelets, and nanowires have all been encountered in the literature. Control of the environment so as to obtain consistent results, hydrolysis, and conversion of the precursor materials into conductive and catalytic metal oxides is the real challenge.

Freshly plated PbO2 over MMO with a mass increase of nearly 1,000% over the substrate.