Titanium diboride (TiB₂) is considered as a promising cathode material for Al production. However, the manufacture of TiB₂ cathodes is facing numerous challenges. In this study, electrodeposition of TiB₂ on graphite was performed in molten fluoride (FLiNaK) electrolyte at 600°C by using a periodically interrupted current technique for various electrodeposition times (from 10 to 75 minutes) and at two different current densities (−0.12 and −0.5 A/cm²). It is shown that the TiB₂ coating morphology/microstructure strongly depends on the applied current density. Denser coatings were obtained at j_on = −0.12 A/cm² with a growth rate of ca. 0.7 µm/min. The thicker films display a preferential crystallographic orientation along the [110] plan. At j_on = −0.5 A/cm², TiB₂ coatings are deposited at a growth rate of ca. 6 µm/min with no crystallographic texture. They present a porous and stratified morphology with numerous transversal macrocracks. All TiB₂ coatings show excellent wettability for molten Al as confirmed by sessile drop experiments. However, significant molten Al infiltration occurs in the TiB₂ coatings, which accumulates at the coating/graphite interface, inducing the coating delamination.

中文翻译：

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石墨上电沉积TiB2作为可湿性阴极用于制铝

二硼化钛（TiB ₂）被认为是生产铝的有希望的阴极材料。然而，TiB ₂阴极的制造面临许多挑战。在这项研究中，通过使用周期性中断电流技术在600°C的熔融氟化物（FLiNaK）电解质中以各种电沉积时间（10至75分钟）和两种不同的电流密度（-0.12）进行TiB ₂在石墨上的电沉积。和-0.5 A / cm ²）。结果表明，TiB ₂涂层的形貌/微观结构在很大程度上取决于所施加的电流密度。在j _on  = -0.12 A / cm ^2时获得了Denser涂层增长率约为 0.7 µm /分钟。较厚的膜沿[110]平面显示优先的晶体学取向。在j _on  = -0.5 A / cm ^2时，TiB ₂涂层的沉积速率约为。6 µm / min，无晶体织构。它们呈现出多孔且分层的形态，具有许多横向宏观裂纹。如无滴试验所证实的，所有TiB ₂涂层对熔融Al均显示出优异的润湿性。但是，在TiB ₂涂层中会发生大量的熔融Al渗透，其会积聚在涂层/石墨界面处，从而导致涂层分层。