Method of electrodeposition using catalyzed hydrogen

Claim 1

A method as claimed in claim 1 and in which the said metal is selected from the group consisting of copper, mercury and the noble metals.

Claim 2

A method of depositing a metal of oxidation potential below and thus reducible by hydrogen from a salt solution thereof, that comprises, disposing a hydrogen-ionizing catalyst anode surface in ionic but not physical contact with said solution, passing hydrogen along said surface to activate the hydrogen, disposing a conductive cathode surface within said solution, establishing an electrically conductive path between the anode and cathodic surfaces external to said solution to produce an electrochemical cell, generating an electric current within said cell without requiring an external power supply and passing said current along said path in order to deposit the metal from said solution with the aid of the action of said activated hydrogen, interposing a porous diffusion barrier between said solution and said anode surface, and flowing a solution across said barrier from the anode side thereof to prevent the flow of ions of the metal and the metal in the opposite direction through the barrier.

Claim 3

A method of depositing copper from an acidic copper salt solution, that comprises, disposing a hydrogen-ionizing catalyst in ionic but not physical contact with said solution, passing hydrogen along said catalyst to activate the hydrogen, causing the activated hydrogen to reduce the copper in said solution to elemental copper, and establishing external to the solution an electrically conductive path between said catalyst and a conducting surface in said solution in order to form an electrochemical cell, generating an electric current within said cell without requiring an external power supply and passing said current along said path in order to deposit the elemental copper upon said conductive surface within said solution, and maintaining the copper ions of said solution and the reduced copper from physical contact with said catalyst by flowing an acidic solution through a porous diffusion barrier into said salt solution from the catalyst side of the barrier.