AlCl3 and liquid Al assisted extraction of Nd from NaCl-KCl melts via intermittent galvanostatic electrolysis

作者：Li, Xing; Yan, Yong-De^*; Zhang, Mi-Lin; Xue, Yun; Tang, Hao; Ji, De-Bin; Zhang, Zhi-Jian

来源：RSC Advances, 2014, 4(76): 40352-40358.

DOI：10.1039/c4ra06864e

• ELECTROCHEMICAL FORMATION
• MOLTEN FLUORIDES
• LICL-KCL
• CO-REDUCTION
• INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
• NI ALLOYS
• NEODYMIUM
• ALUMINUM
• LANTHANIDES
• ACTINIDES

The electrochemical reduction of Nd(III) was investigated on an inert W and a liquid Al electrode in molten NaCl-KCl eutectic salt. On both W and liquid Al electrodes, the reduction of Nd(III) ions to Nd(0) metal occurred in a single reaction step, which avoids the corrosion reaction: 2Nd(III) + Nd -> 3Nd(II). Therefore, corrosion of Nd metal in this molten chloride media is not expected. The co-reduction behavior of Nd(III) and Al(III) ions was studied on a W electrode in NaCl-KCl-AlCl3-NdCl3 melts. Five kinds of Al-Nd intermetallic compound were detected via cyclic voltammetry and open circuit chronopotentiometry. Intermittent galvanostatic electrolysis was employed on liquid Al electrodes to extract Nd in the form of Al-Nd alloys in NaCl-KCl-NdCl3 melts. Nd, AlNd3, Al2Nd, and AlNd phases were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD). With the increase of electrolytic time, the content of Nd-rich Al-Nd intermetallic compounds in the Al-Nd alloy increased. The morphology and micro-zone chemical analysis of the deposits were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), and the Al11Nd3 phase was confirmed by EDS analysis.

• 出版日期2014
• 单位哈尔滨工程大学