Electrorefining of niobium in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb3Cl8

Kanggen Zhou; Toshihide Takenaka; Nobuaki Sato; Masanori Tokuda

Electrorefining of niobium in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb₃Cl₈

Kanggen Zhou, Toshihide Takenaka, Nobuaki Sato, Masanori Tokuda

Division of Process and System Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The electrorefining of niobium has been investigated in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb₃Cl₈ at the temperature of 550°C by controlled potential electrolysis. The cathode deposits obtained at various cathode potentials were analyzed by XRD and EPMA. Tantalum content in deposits was measured by ICP. The cathode deposit was granular, powdery or dendritic niobium metal, and its morphology strongly depended on the cathode potential. Cathodic current efficiency was about 80% at the cathode potential of -0.8 to -1.2 Vvs. Ag/AgCl [(LiCl-KCl)_eut+ AgCl (5mol%)]. and it deteriorated above and below this potential range. The tantalum removal ability was affected obviously neither by the cathode potential nor by the tantalum content in the anode. The tantalum content in the cathode deposit was reduced to about a half of that in the anode. However, the tantalum removal ability in the chloride melt was inferior to that in the fluoride melt.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	134-137
Number of pages	4
Journal	Electrochemistry
Volume	65
Issue number	2
Publication status	Published - 1997 Dec 1

Keywords

Electrorefining
Molten salts
NbCl
Niobium

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Electrochemistry

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title = "Electrorefining of niobium in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb3Cl8",

abstract = "The electrorefining of niobium has been investigated in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb3Cl8 at the temperature of 550°C by controlled potential electrolysis. The cathode deposits obtained at various cathode potentials were analyzed by XRD and EPMA. Tantalum content in deposits was measured by ICP. The cathode deposit was granular, powdery or dendritic niobium metal, and its morphology strongly depended on the cathode potential. Cathodic current efficiency was about 80% at the cathode potential of -0.8 to -1.2 Vvs. Ag/AgCl [(LiCl-KCl)eut+ AgCl (5mol%)]. and it deteriorated above and below this potential range. The tantalum removal ability was affected obviously neither by the cathode potential nor by the tantalum content in the anode. The tantalum content in the cathode deposit was reduced to about a half of that in the anode. However, the tantalum removal ability in the chloride melt was inferior to that in the fluoride melt.",

keywords = "Electrorefining, Molten salts, NbCl, Niobium",

author = "Kanggen Zhou and Toshihide Takenaka and Nobuaki Sato and Masanori Tokuda",

year = "1997",

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language = "English",

volume = "65",

pages = "134--137",

journal = "Electrochemistry",

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publisher = "Electrochemical Society of Japan",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Electrorefining of niobium in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb3Cl8

AU - Zhou, Kanggen

AU - Takenaka, Toshihide

AU - Sato, Nobuaki

AU - Tokuda, Masanori

PY - 1997/12/1

Y1 - 1997/12/1

N2 - The electrorefining of niobium has been investigated in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb3Cl8 at the temperature of 550°C by controlled potential electrolysis. The cathode deposits obtained at various cathode potentials were analyzed by XRD and EPMA. Tantalum content in deposits was measured by ICP. The cathode deposit was granular, powdery or dendritic niobium metal, and its morphology strongly depended on the cathode potential. Cathodic current efficiency was about 80% at the cathode potential of -0.8 to -1.2 Vvs. Ag/AgCl [(LiCl-KCl)eut+ AgCl (5mol%)]. and it deteriorated above and below this potential range. The tantalum removal ability was affected obviously neither by the cathode potential nor by the tantalum content in the anode. The tantalum content in the cathode deposit was reduced to about a half of that in the anode. However, the tantalum removal ability in the chloride melt was inferior to that in the fluoride melt.

AB - The electrorefining of niobium has been investigated in LiCl-KCl eutectic melt with Nb3Cl8 at the temperature of 550°C by controlled potential electrolysis. The cathode deposits obtained at various cathode potentials were analyzed by XRD and EPMA. Tantalum content in deposits was measured by ICP. The cathode deposit was granular, powdery or dendritic niobium metal, and its morphology strongly depended on the cathode potential. Cathodic current efficiency was about 80% at the cathode potential of -0.8 to -1.2 Vvs. Ag/AgCl [(LiCl-KCl)eut+ AgCl (5mol%)]. and it deteriorated above and below this potential range. The tantalum removal ability was affected obviously neither by the cathode potential nor by the tantalum content in the anode. The tantalum content in the cathode deposit was reduced to about a half of that in the anode. However, the tantalum removal ability in the chloride melt was inferior to that in the fluoride melt.

KW - Electrorefining

KW - Molten salts

KW - NbCl

KW - Niobium

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