Method of impregnating porous electrode with catalyst

Claim 1

IN A METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING A METAL COMPRISING CATALYST THROUGH THE PORES OF A POROUS CARBON ELECTRODE WHICH COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID ELECTRODE WITH A SOLUTION OF A WATER SOLUBLE COMPOUND CONTAINING SAID METAL IN COMBINED FORM, ADSORBING SAID COMPOUND ON SAID CARBON, HEATING SAID ELECTRODE IN AN INERT ATMOSPHERE TO DECOMPOSE SAID COMPOUND LEAVING SAID METAL ADHERED TO SAID CARBON IN AN AMOUNT COMPRISING AT LEAST 0.1 WT. PERCENT OF THE RESULTING METAL IMPREGNATED CARBON ELECTRODE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON SAID ELECTRODE TO A SUBATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE, PASSING AN INERT GAS THROUGH SAID POROUS ELECTRODE UNTIL SAID ELECTRODE IS FLOODED WITH SAID GAS, CONTACTING THE RESULTING GAS FLOODED ELECTRODE AT A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1 TO 100 MM. HG WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF SAID COMPOUND WHEREIN THE CONCENTRATION IS IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 0.003 TO 0.005 MOLE PER LITER FOR A PERIOD IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 1 TO 5 DAYS, REMOVING SAID ELECTRODE FROM SAID SOLUTION, HEATING SAID CARBON ELECTRODE WITH SAID COMPOUND ADSORBED THEREON IN AN INERT ATMOSPHERE UNTIL SAID COMPOUND IS DECOMPOSED LEAVING SAID METAL ADSORBED ON SAID CARBON AND TREATING THE RESULTING ELECTRODE WITH HYDROGEN GAS AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE TO ACTIVATE SAID CATALYST.