Abstract
A NaF-NaCl-KCl ternary system containing La2O3 was investigated for the preparation of Al-La master alloy by the thermite reaction method. The solubility of La2O3 in NaF-NaCl-KCl molten salt was determined by the method of isothermal solution saturation. Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were used to consider the content of La2O3 in molten salt and the supernatant composition of molten salt after dissolution of La2O3, respectively. The results showed that the content of NaF had a positive influence on the solubility of La2O3 in NaF-NaCl-KCl molten salts, and the solubility of La2O3 could reach 8.71 wt.% in molten salts of 50 wt.%NaF-50 wt.% (44 wt.%NaCl + 56 wt.%KCl). The XRD pattern of cooling molten salt indicated the formation of LaOF in molten salt, which was probably obtained by the reaction between NaF and La2O3. The kinetic study showed that the thermite reaction was in accord with a first-order reaction model. The main influence factors on La content in the Al-La master alloy product, including molten salt composition, amount of Al, concentration of La2O3, stirring, reduction time and temperature, were investigated by single-factor experimentation. The content of La in the Al-La master alloy could be reached to 10.1 wt.%.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51074053) and National Science & Technology Pillar Program of China (No. 2012BAE08B01).
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Jang, P., Li, H., Kim, W. et al. Preparation of Al-La Master Alloy by Thermite Reaction in NaF-NaCl-KCl Molten Salt. JOM 67, 1130–1136 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-015-1392-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-015-1392-x