Electrochemical behavior of dispersed tungsten semicarbide

Soft anodic oxidation of dispersed tungsten semicarbide W2C in acidic solutions (1NH2SO4) is studied along with kinetics of some electrode processes on oxidized W2C. The process including tungsten transfer into a solution and surface oxide growth accompaning by triple increase of total electrode charge as compared to fresh solution takes place in anodic treatment. Anode-treated W2C shows noticeable catalytic activity in the reactions of H2 isolation and ionization and also during CH2O oxidation at a room temperature. It is shown that soft anodic W2C oxidation results in obtained of electrode with properties close to properties of WC electrodes subjected to anodic treatment under rigid conditions