A Study of the Calcium‐Thionyl Chloride Electrochemical System

The use of calcium metal as an anode in electrolytes was investigated. Calcium showed an open‐circuit potential (OCP) of 3.22V vs. a carbon cathode in electrolyte. Hermetically sealed D cells, when discharged at 1 mA/cm 2 , displayed level discharge plateaus of 2.8V. SEM photographs indicated the rapid formation of a crystalline layer on the anode; the composition of this film was established as . Storage of calcium samples in electrolyte resulted in corrosion of the metal. This corrosion was particularly pronounced at 55°C and it appeared to be a fundamental behavior which was not eliminated by rigid control of electrolyte purity. The following cell chemistry was suggested by chemical analysis of discharged electrolytes and cathodes Electrodeposition experiments indicated no evidence for the plating of Ca onto a nickel substrate.