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.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Gupta, R.K., Nayan, N., Nagasireesha, G., and Sharma, S.C., Mater. Sci. Eng., A, 2006, vol. 420, no. 1, pp. 228–234.
Meng, L. and Zheng, X.L., Mater. Sci. Eng., A, 1997, vol. 237, no. 1, pp. 109–118.
Lavernia, E.J. and Grant, N.J., J. Mater. Sci., 1987, vol. 22, no. 5, pp. 1521–1529.
De Yan, Y., Tang, H., Zhang, M. L., Xue, Y., et al., Electrochim. Acta, 2012, vol. 59, pp. 531–537.
Aluminum–Lithium Alloys: Processing, Properties, and Applications, Prasad, N.E., Gokhale, A., and Wanhill, R.J.H., Eds., London: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2013, pp. 13–23.
Itoh K., Tanabe Z., and Watanabe Y., US Patent 4 521 284, 1985.
Zhang, M.L., De Yan, Y., Hou, Z.Y., Fan, L.A., et al., Chin. Chem. Lett., 2007, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 329–332.
Kamaludeen, M., Renganathan, N.G., Sundaram, M., and Vasu, K.I., Bull. Electrochem., 1987, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 143–145.
Sato Y., Saito S., Araike E., Suzuki T., et al., J. Jpn. Inst. Light Met., 1993, vol. 43, no. 1, p. 33. https://doi.org/10.2464/jilm.43.33
Ye, K., Zhang, M.L., Chen, Y., Han, W., et al., Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 2010, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 691–698.
Leisegang, T., Meutzner, F., Zschornak, M., Münchgesang, W., et al., Front. Chem., 2019, vol. 7, p. 268.
Han, W., Chen, Q., Sun, Y., Jiang, T., et al., Metall. Mater. Trans. B, 2011, vol. 42, no. 6, pp. 1367–1375.
Chen, X., Zhao, Z., Liu, X., Hao, M., et al., J. Power Sources, 2014, vol. 254, pp. 345–352.
Lin, M.C., Uan, J.Y., and Tsai, T.C., Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 2012, vol. 37, no. 18, pp. 13731–13736.
Lynch, S.P., Mater. Sci. Eng., A, 1991, vol. 136, pp. 25–43.
Lynch, S.P., Mater. Sci. Eng., A, 1991, vol. 136, pp. 45–57.
Lynch, S.P., Wilson, A.R., and Byrnes, R.T., Mater. Sci. Eng., A, 1993, vol. 172, nos. 1–2, pp. 79–93.
Lynch, S.P., Knight, S.P., Birbilis, N., and Muddle, B.C., in Proc. Int. Conf. on Aluminium Alloys (ICAA), Chichester: Wiley, 2008, pp. 1409–1415.
Pasang, T., Symonds, N., Moutsos, S., Wanhill, R.J.H., et al., Eng. Failure Anal., 2012, vol. 22, pp. 166–178.
Chen, X., Zhao, Z., Hao, M., and Wang, D., Int. J. Energy Res., 2013, vol. 37, no. 13, pp. 1624–1634.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors are grateful to Peter Jones, lecturer at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland, for his precious comments.
Funding
The authors would like to express their sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology of Iran for the grant for this research.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
About this article
Cite this article
Bilesan, M.R., Soltanieh, M., Bafghi, M.S. et al. Evaluation of Li Electrodeposition into Al from LiCl–KCl Electrolyte. Surf. Engin. Appl.Electrochem. 56, 571–579 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068375520050026
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068375520050026