Electrochemical Deoxidation of Titanium and Its Alloy Using Molten Magnesium Chloride

• Published in: Metallurgical and materials transactions. B, Process metallurgy and materials processing science Vol. 47; no. 6; pp. 3394 - 3404
• Main Authors: Taninouchi, Yu-ki, Hamanaka, Yuki, Okabe, Toru H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Deoxidizing; Electrodes; Feasibility studies; Magnesium composites; Materials Science; Metallic Materials; Metallurgy; Nanotechnology; Oxygen; Process metallurgy; Structural Materials; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Titanium; Titanium alloys; Titanium base alloys; Deoxidation Product; Alpha Case; Titanium Sponge; Titanium Sample; Oxygen Removal
• ISSN: 1073-5615; 1543-1916
• DOI: 10.1007/s11663-016-0792-9

Oxygen was directly removed from pure titanium and a Ti-6Al-4V alloy by electrolysis in molten MgCl 2 at 1173 K (900 °C), where the metal being refined was the cathode and a graphite rod was used as the anode. By applying a voltage of approximately 3 V between the electrodes, commercially pure titanium, containing 1200 mass ppm oxygen, and the Ti-6Al-4V alloy, containing 1400 mass ppm oxygen, were deoxidized to 500 mass ppm or less. Under certain conditions, extra-low-oxygen titanium (as low as 80 mass ppm oxygen) was obtained using this electrochemical technique. The results obtained in this study indicate that the electrochemical deoxidation of titanium in molten MgCl 2 is feasible and applicable not only to the refinement of primary metals, but also for upgrading machined titanium products and recycling metal scraps.