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

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7262361
TiB/sub 2/, ZrB/sub 2/, and HfB/sub 2/ were electrodeposited from their respective oxides dissolved in borate-chloride-cryolite electrolytes. 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 1,050/sup 0/C; 14 kWh were required to produce 1 lb of TiB/sub 2/. Major impurities in the TiB/sub 2/ produced in a 10-deposition cycle experiment, in weight-percent, 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 1,050/sup 0/C. The ZrB/sub 2/ produced in a 10-deposition cycle experiment contained the following impurities in weight-percent: Fe, 0.1; Si, 0.5; C, 0.3; and O, 0.6. Energy required to produce 1 lb of ZrB/sub 2/ was 9.3 kWh.
Research Organization:
Bureau of Mines, Washington, D.C. (USA)
OSTI ID:
7262361
Report Number(s):
BM-RI-8053
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English