Production of Al-Y alloy via electrolysis of KF-NaF-ALF3-Y2O3 melt

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Abstract

One of the ways to increase the efficiency of aluminum production is the use of low-temperature electrolytes and the production of demand aluminum master alloys. Earlier it was noted that it is effective to obtain aluminium master alloys via electrolysis of low-temperature electrolytes, allowing to arrange production without the need to obtain individual alloying elements and aluminium. It is relevant both from the practical and scientific point of view is the study of the possibility of obtaining aluminium master alloys with such electronegative elements as scandium, yttrium, strontium and calcium, etc. In this paper, the possibility of obtaining the Al-Y master alloy during electrolysis of a low-temperature electrolyte based on the KF-AlF3 system with the addition of Y2O3 at a temperature of 800°C was studied. For this purpose, the kinetics of the cathode process on a molybdenum and glassy carbon electrode was studied in the melt under study with different oxide content using chronovoltammetry method. It is shown that the addition of Y2O3 practically does not affect the voltampere dependences and the mechanism of the process, increasing the cathodic currents of reduction of aluminium and yttrium ions, as well as the anodic currents of oxidation of cathodic reaction products. Based on electrochemical measurements, it was assumed that the co-reduction of aluminum with yttrium is possible at current densities above 0.4-0.5 A/cm2. The process of obtaining Al-Y alloys in the KF-NaF-AlF3 melt with the addition of 1 wt% Y2O3 under conditions of aluminothermic synthesis and galvanostatic electrolysis of the melt at a cathodic current density of 0.5 and 1.0 A/cm2 was studied. As a result of aluminothermic reduction, an alloy with an yttrium content of no more than 0.07 wt.% was obtained, while during electrolysis, Al-Y master alloys with an yttrium content from 0.75 to 1.28 wt.% were obtained. The obtained values correspond to the extraction of yttrium from its oxide of 4.4; 47.5 and 81.3. It is suggested that the increase of synthesis duration and periodic loading of Y2O3 into the melt will allow to obtain Al-Y master alloys with increased yttrium content.

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About the authors

A. V. Rudenko

Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry UB RAS

Email: a.v.suzdaltsev@urfu.ru
Russian Federation, Ekaterinburg

A. A. Filatov

Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry UB RAS

Email: a.v.suzdaltsev@urfu.ru
Russian Federation, Ekaterinburg

A. V. Suzdaltsev

Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry UB RAS; Ural Federal University

Author for correspondence.
Email: a.v.suzdaltsev@urfu.ru
Russian Federation, Ekaterinburg; Ekaterinburg

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Supplementary files

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2. Fig. 1. Schematic diagrams of the setups for electrochemical measurements (left) and electrolysis (right)

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3. Fig. 2. Voltamperograms on molybdenum (Mo) and glassy carbon (GC) in KF-AlF3 melt with Y2O3 additives. Temperature 800°C, potential scan rate – 0.1 V/s, reference electrode – gas CO/CO2

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4. Fig. 3. Change in voltage between the graphite anode and aluminum cathode during electrolysis of KF-NaF-AlF3-Y2O3 melt at a cathode current density of 0.5 and 1.0 A/cm2

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5. Fig. 4. Micrographs of the surface of a section of the Al-Y ligature obtained by electrolysis of the KF-NaF-AlF3 melt with the addition of 1 wt.% Y2O3 at a cathode current density of 1 A/cm2. Magnification: a – 100; b – 5000; c – 13000

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