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Electrochemical preparation of the Fe-Ni36 Invar alloy from a mixed oxides precursor in molten carbonates

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Abstract

The Fe-Ni36 alloy was prepared via the one-step electrolysis of a mixed oxides precursor in a molten Na2CO3-K2CO3 eutectic melt at 750°C, where porous Fe2O3-NiO pellets served as the cathode and the Ni10Cu11Fe alloy was an inert anode. During the electrolysis, NiO was preferentially electro-reduced to Ni, then Fe2O3 was reduced and simultaneously alloyed with nickel to form the Fe-Ni36 alloy. Different cell voltages were applied to optimize the electrolytic conditions, and a relatively low energy consumption of 2.48 kWhkg−1 for production of FeNi36 alloy was achieved under 1.9 V with a high current efficiency of 94.6%. The particle size of the alloy was found to be much smaller than that of the individual metal. This process provides a low-carbon technology for preparing the Fe-Ni36 alloy via molten carbonates electrolysis.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51874211 and 51325102).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Yan-peng Dou, Di-yong Tang, Hua-yi Yin & Di-hua Wang

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  1. Yan-peng Dou
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  2. Di-yong Tang
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  3. Hua-yi Yin
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  4. Di-hua Wang
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Correspondence to Di-hua Wang.

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Dou, Yp., Tang, Dy., Yin, Hy. et al. Electrochemical preparation of the Fe-Ni36 Invar alloy from a mixed oxides precursor in molten carbonates. Int J Miner Metall Mater 27, 1695–1702 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2169-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-020-2169-y

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