Ion exchange membrane cell and electrolysis with use thereof

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The gas and liquid permeable porous layer provided on the cation exchange membrane according to the present invention is formed preferably by bonding particles onto the membrane surface.
The amount of the particles applied to form the porous layer varies depending upon the nature and size of the particles.
However, according to the research made by the present inventors, it has been found that the amount of the particles is preferably from 0.
005 to 50 mg, especially from 0.
001 to 30 mg per 1 cm.
sup.
2 of the membrane surface.
If the amount is too small, the desired level of effectiveness expected by the present invention is not obtainable.
On the other hand, the use of an excessively large amount tends to lead to an increase of the membrane resistance.
The particles forming the gas and liquid permeable porous layer on the surface of the cation exchange membrane of the present invention may be electrically conductive or non-conductive and may be made of inorganic material or organic material, so long as they do not function as an electrode.
However, the particles are preferably made of material having corrosion resistance against the electrolyte solution.
Moreover, an inorganic material is more preferably used than an organic material due to its superior performance in the voltage reduction.
As preferred specific material for the porous layer on the anode side, there may be used a single substance, an alloy, an oxide, a hydroxide, a nitride or a carbide of a metal of Group IV-A (preferably silicon, germanium, tin or lead), Group IV-B (preferably titanium, zirconium or hafnium) or Group V-B (preferably niobium or tantalum) of the Periodic Table, an iron group metal (iron, cobalt or nickel), chromium, manganese or boron, polytetrafluoroethylene, or an ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer.
On the other hand, for the porous layer on the cathode side, there may preferably be used, in addition to the materials useful for the formation of the porous layer on the anode side, silver, zirconium or their alloys, stainless steel, carbon (active carbon or graphite), a polyamide resin, a polysulfonic resin, a polyphenyleneoxide resin, a polyphenylenesulfide resin, a polypropylene resin or a polyimide resin