Abstract

This study investigated the effects of temperature and the current density on the production of an Al–Li master alloy using electrolysis. The current efficiency and the specific energy consumption were calculated according to Faraday’s law to determine optimal conditions for production of the Al–Li master alloy. Solid aluminum and graphite were used as the cathode and the anode, respectively. The LiCl–KCl eutectic molten salt was used as a lithium-containing electrolyte. Different current densities were applied to obtain the optimum condition. In addition, different temperatures were investigated at the optimum current density during the deposition of lithium. Scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, and the X-ray diffraction analysis were used to investigate the microstructure and phase compositions. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to measure the existing lithium. The results showed that electrolysis at 620°C and a current density of 0.9 A/cm² at 4 V for 3 h leads to the formation of an Al–17.43 wt % Li master alloy. The current efficiency and the specific energy consumption for the optimum conditions were found to be 96% and 16.08 kWh/kg, respectively.

中文翻译：

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LiCl-KCl电解质中锂在铝中的电沉积评估

摘要

这项研究调查了温度和电流密度对电解生产Al-Li中间合金的影响。根据法拉第定律计算电流效率和单位能耗，以确定生产Al-Li中间合金的最佳条件。固态铝和石墨分别用作阴极和阳极。LiCl-KCl共晶熔盐用作含锂的电解质。应用不同的电流密度以获得最佳条件。此外，在锂沉积过程中，在最佳电流密度下研究了不同的温度。扫描电子显微镜，光学显微镜和X射线衍射分析被用来研究微观结构和相组成。原子吸收光谱法用于测量现有的锂。结果表明，在620℃下电解，电流密度为0.9 A / cm²在4 V下持续3 h导致形成Al–17.43 wt％的Li中间合金。最佳条件下的电流效率和单位能耗分别为96％和16.08 kWh / kg。