TABLE OF CONTENTS Monolithic Ti 4O 7 electrode material has certainly experienced a chequered development history. A commercial product is now available whose production is straightforward. Contrary to initial thinking, the most significant commercial application to date has not been associated with electrochlorination or electrowinning, but rather in different aspects of impressed current cathodic protection. Despite the corrosion resistance of bulk Ti 4O 7 in chloride solutions and hydrochloric acid, no large scale application in chlor-alkali technology has yet appeared. In spite of this, commercial applications for monolithic Ti 4O 7 which have been apparently dormant in the past 20 years do seem to be expanding. Each new commercial success offers an opportunity to lower the price, and thus, in a virtuous circle, attract even more potential uses.
What has here been described, is an account of the development of a novel material, in the setting of an industrial laboratory. Industry tends to follow quite different paths from those likely to be followed in academic institutions. Industry goes to great lengths to ensure there is no prior art to cloud the issue, and will often expend much effort in patent searching and in obtaining patent protection. With the wisdom of hindsight, some of this effort might have been more wisely expended in learning more of the science and technology relating to, or peripheral to, the project.
In an era where computer databases make searching the literature a...
