Abstract
The effects of cathode materials and electrolyte additives on magnesium wetting were studied with the goal of improving current efficiency in a magnesium electrolysis cell. The study consisted of static wetting and electrolysis tests, both conducted in a visual cell with a molten salt electrolyte of MgCl2-CaCl2-NaCl-KCl-CaF2. The wetting conditions were tested using high resolution photography and contact angle software. The electrolysis tests were completed to qualitatively assess the effect of additives to the melt and were recorded with a digital video camcorder. Results from the static wetting tests showed a significant variation in wetting depending on the material used for the cathode. Mo and a Mo-W alloy, with contact angles of 60° and 52° respectively, demonstrated excellent wetting. The contact angle for steel was 132° and it ranged from 142°–154° for graphite depending on the type. Improvements to the cathode wetting were observed with tungsten and molybdenum oxide additives.
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McLean, K., Pettingill, J., Davis, B. (2016). Cathode Wetting Studies in Magnesium Electrolysis. In: Mathaudhu, S.N., Luo, A.A., Neelameggham, N.R., Nyberg, E.A., Sillekens, W.H. (eds) Essential Readings in Magnesium Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48099-2_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48099-2_17
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