Cathode Wetting during Magnesium Electrolysis

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Light metals such as magnesium and sodium are produced using vertical anodes and cathodes in a molten salt.  This is also a long-term goal for aluminum production.  Due to the large power consumption of these electrolysis processes, a high current efficiency is critical to the success of these processes.  When metal does not effectively wet the cathode, small beads of metal become detached and can react with oxide (to sink to the cell floor) or the anode gas to recombine.  Both of these reactions lead to a loss in efficiency.  In effect, what is desired is a liquid cathode of the metal that is being produced.  This is the case in the aluminum industry, but it is a horizontal cathode.  With a sheet of metal flowing off of the top of the anode, back reactions would be minimized. The experimental plan involves using a see-through quartz cell to measure contact angles of magnesium in electrolyte against various potential cathode materials.