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Until its scientific rediscovery in 2007 at TU Graz, the “water bridge” phenomenon, discovered in the 19th century, had sank into oblivion. If extremely pure water, in other words water that has been distilled many times, is placed in two beakers and subject to a high voltage, the fluid moves up the side of each beaker and forms a floating water bridge between the two vessels.
The water bridge pictured was formed under the influence of a high-voltage electric field of about 15 kV voltage. You spans about one centimeter in length between the two is filled with deionized water cups made of Teflon.
Credit: © Woisetschläger / Fuchs – TU Graz.
Protonic electrical charge
The water is not electronically, but rather protonically charged. This novel kind of water is either positively or negatively charged depending on whether it contains more or fewer protons. The study shows that in anodic water – water with a positive charge – protons are formed in the context of the occurring electrolysis. These hydrogen nuclei flow through the water bridge into the cathodic water of the other beaker, which has a negative charge, and are neutralised there by hydroxyl ions. Since the protons move at a finite speed, there is always an excess of protons in one water container and a lack of protons in the other.
If the water bridge is suddenly switched off, the proton charges remain, as can be measured by means of impedance spectroscopy. The first investigations have shown that the fluid’s charge remains stable for one week.
From water battery to low-waste chemistry
The realisation that such water bridges can be used as electrochemical or biochemical reactors opens up a variety of possible industrial applications. Substances can be brought into contact with other materials in the water bridge for the purpose of chemical reactions, water can become a “water battery” as a storage of electric charge, and acids and alkalis can be produced without any opposing ions – without acid and alkaline water. This opens the way to especially eco-friendly cleaning agents, reduced waste from chemical processes, and new possibilities for medical applications.
Contacts and sources:
Jakob Woisetschläger, Ao.Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. . Dr.techn
Institute of Thermal Turbomachinery and Machine Dynamics
Citation: Elmar C Fuchs, Martina Sammer, Adam D Wexler, Philipp Kunkte, Jakob Woisetschläger.
A floating water bridge produces water with excess charge.
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, Volume 49, Number 12, 2016.
DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/49/12/125502
http://bit.ly/1Qngi14