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Electrolytic preparation of titanium and zirconium diborides from their oxides and mineral concentrates. Report of investigations

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7251765

Electrolytic techniques were investigated for preparing diborides of the group IV B metals. TiB/sub 2/, ZrB/sub 2/, and HfB/sub 2/ were electrodeposited from their respective oxides dissolved in borate-chloride-cryolite electrolyte. Titanium diboride was also electrodeposited from rutile (TiO/sub 2/) dissolved in a Na/sub 2/B/sub 4/O/sub 7/-Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/-Na/sub 3/AlF/sub 6/-NaCl electrolyte at 1,050C 14 kw-hrs were required to produce one pound of TiB/sub 2/. Major impurities in the TiB/sub 2/ produced in a 10-deposition cycle experiment, in wt-pct, were: Al, 0.2; Cr, 0.3; Fe, 0.1; V, 0.3; C, 1.4; and O, 1.0. Zirconium diboride was electrodeposited from zircon (ZrSiO/sub 4/) dissolved in a Na/sub 2/B/sub 4/O/sub 7/-NaOH-Na/sub 3/AlF/sub 6/-NaCl-NaF electrolyte at 1,050C. The ZrB/sub 2/ produced in a 10-deposition cycle experiment contained the following impurities in wt-pct: Fe, 0.1; Si, 0.5; C, 0.3; and O 0.6. Energy required to produce one pound of ZrB was 9.3 kw-hrs. (GRA)

Research Organization:
Bureau of Mines, Reno, Nev. (USA). Reno Metallurgy Research Center
OSTI ID:
7251765
Report Number(s):
PB-245561; BM-RI-8053
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English