Leaching kinetics of low grade zinc oxide ore in NH3-NH4Cl-H2O system

The leaching kinetics of low grade zinc oxide ore in NH3-NH4Cl-H2O system was studied. The effects of ore particle size,reaction temperature and the sum concentration of ammonium ion and ammonia on the leaching efficiency of zinc were examined.The leaching kinetics of low-grade zinc oxide ore in NH3-NH4Cl-H2O system follows the kinetic law of shrinking-core model. The results show that diffusion through the inert particle pores is the leaching kinetics rate controlling step. The calculated apparent activation energy of the process is about 7.057kJ/mol. The leaching efficiency of zinc is 92.1% under the conditions of ore particle size of 69μm, holding at 80℃ for 60min, sum ammonia concentration of 7.5mol/L, the molar ratio of ammonium to ammonia being 2:1, and the ratio (g/mL) of solid to liquid being 1:10.     

Dissolution kinetics of malachite in ammonia/ammonium sulphate solution

The dissolution kinetics of malachite was investigated in ammonia/ammonium sulphate solution. The effects of ammonia and ammonium sulphate concentration, pH, leaching time, reaction temperature, and particle size were determined. The results show that the optimum leaching conditions for malachite ore with a copper extraction more than 96.8% are ammonia/ammonium concentration 3.0 mol/L NH₄OH + 1.5 mol/L (NH₄)₂SO₄, liquid-to-solid ratio 25:1 mL/g, leaching time 120 min, stirring speed 500 r/min, reaction temperature 25 °C and particle size finer than 0.045 mm. The dissolution process of malachite with an activation energy of 26.75 kJ/mol is controlled by the interface transfer and diffusion across the product layer. A semi-empirical rate equation is obtained to describe the leaching process and the reaction orders with respect to concentration of ammonia and ammonium sulphate are 2.983 0 and 0.941 1, respectively.     

Synthesis of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles by chemical precipitation method

Highly pure active γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized from aluminum nitrate and ammonium carbonate with a little surfactant by chemical precipitation method. The factors affecting the synthesis process were studied. The properties of γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles were characterized by DTA, XRD, BET, TEM, laser granularity analysis and impurity content analysis. The results show that the amorphous precursor Al(OH)₃ sols are produced by using 0.1 mol/L Al(NO₃)₃ · 9H₂O and 0.16 mol/L (NH₄)₂CO₃ · H₂O reaction solutions, according to the volume ratio 1.33, adding 0.024% (volume fraction) surfactant PEG600, and reacting at 40 °C, 1 000 r/min stirring rate for 15 min. Then, after stabilizing for 24 h, the precursors were extracted and filtrated by vacuum, washed thoroughly with deionized water and dehydrated ethanol, dried in vacuum at 80°C for 8 h, final calcined at 800 °C for 1 h in the air, and high purity active γ-Al₂O₃ nanoparticles can be prepared with cubic in crystal system, O _H ⁷ -FD3M in space group, about 9 nm in crystal grain size, about 20 nm in particle size and uniform size distribution, 131. 35 m²/g in BET specific surface area, 7 – 11 nm in pore diameter, and not lower than 99.93% in purity. Foundation item: Project(03JJY3015) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province     

Synthesis and characterization of high-voltage cathode material LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 by one-step solid-state reaction

LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ was prepared under various conditions by one-step solid-state reaction in air and its properties were investigated by X-ray diffractormetry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electrochemical measurement. XRD patterns show that LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ synthesized under various conditions has cubic spinel structure. SEM images exhibit that the particle size increases with increasing calcination temperature and time. Electrochemical test shows that the LiNi_0.5Mn_1.5O₄ calcined at 700 °C for 24 h delivers up to 143 mA · h/g, and the capacity retains 132 mA · h/g after 30 cycles. Foundation item: Project (76600) supported by Postdoctoral Science Foundation of Central South University     

Effects of drying method on preparation of nanometer α-Al2O3

Ammonium aluminum carbonate hydroxide （AACH） precursor was synthesized by the precipitation reaction of aluminum sulfate and ammonium carbonate. Then the precursor was dealt with five drying methods including ordinary drying, alcohol exchange, vacuum freeze-drying, glycol distillation, n-butanol azeotropic distillation respectively and calcined at 1 200℃ for 2 h to get α-Al2O3. The effects of drying methods on preparation of nanometer α-Al2O3 were discussed, and the optimal drying method was confirmed. The structural properties of powders were characterized by XRD, SEM and BET measurements. The results show that vacuum freeze-drying, glycol distillation and n-butanol azeotropic distillation can prevent the powders from aggregating, and among them the n-butanol azeotropic distillation is the best method. The nanometer α-Al2O3 powder with non-aggregation can be manufactured using n-butanol azeotropic distillation and the average particle size is about 40 nm.     

Effects of temperature and initial molar ratio of Na2O to Al2O3 on agglomeration of fine Al（OH）3 seed in synthetic Bayer solution

Fine Al（OH）3 crystals were aggregated from supersaturated aluminate solution in the batch reaction tanks. By means of laser particle size analyzer and scanning electron microscopy, the influences of temperature and initial molar ratio of Na2O to Al2O3 （aK） on agglomeration of fine seed in Bayer process were investigated. The results show that agglomeration is almost finished in 8 h, and seeds with size less than 2 μm are easily aggregated together, and almost disappear in 8 h under the optimal process conditions. In the aluminate solution with the same moderate initial aK, when the reaction temperature reaches 75 ℃, the secondary nucleation does not occur, and the effect of agglomeration is better. And at the same reaction temperature, when the initial aK is 1.62, the initial supersaturation of aluminate solution is moderate, the binders on the surfaces of the seed are enough to maintain the agglomeration process, and the agglomeration degree is better. From SEM images, agglomeration mainly occurs in the fine particles, the combinations among the fine particles are loose and the new formed coarse crystal shapes are irregular.     

Characteristics of LiCoO2, LiMn2O4 and LiNi0.45Co0.1Mn0.45O2 as cathodes of lithium ion batteries

LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ was synthesized from Li₂CO₃ and a triple oxide of nickel, cobalt and manganese at 950 °C in air. The structures and characteristics of LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂, LiCoO₂ and LiMn₂O₄ were investigated by XRD, SEM and electrochemical measurements. The results show that LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ has a layered structure with hexagonal lattice. The commercial LiCoO₂ has sphere-like appearance and smooth surfaces, while the LiMn₂O₄ and LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ consist of cornered and uneven particles. LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ has a large discharge capacity of 140.9 mA · h/g in practical lithium ion battery, which is 33.4% and 2.8% above that of LiMn₂O₄ and LiCoO₂, respectively. LiCoO₂ and LiMn₂O₄ have higher discharge voltage and better rate-capability than LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂. All the three cathodes have excellent cycling performance with capacity retention of above 89.3% at the 250th cycle. Batteries with LiMn₂O₄ or LiNi_0.45Co_0.10Mn_0.45O₂ cathodes show better safety performance under abusive conditions than those with LiCoO₂ cathodes. Foundation item: Project(50302016) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project(2005037698) supported by the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China     

Electrochemical behavior of K3Fe（CN）6 in water-in-oil microemulsion

A water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsion composed of Triton X-100, n-hexanol, n-hexane and water solution with hydrochloric acid was prepared. K₃Fe(CN)₆ was added in as a water-soluble electroactive probe, and its electrochemical behavior was investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It is found that the H⁺ concentration of the water phase has a great effect on the conductivity of the W/O microemulsion, and hence influences the electrochemical behavior of K₃Fe(CN)₆. When the pH value of water phase is about 7, the electrical conductivity of the W/O microemulsion is only 1.2×10⁻⁶ S/cm, and K₃Fe(CN)₆ almost cannot react at the glassy carbon electrode. But when the H⁺ concentration is more than 3 mol/L, the W/O microemulsion has a good electrical conductivity and K₃Fe(CN)₆ shows good electrochemical performance in it. The results of CV and EIS studies indicate that the electrochemical behavior of Fe(CN)₆ ³⁻/Fe(CN)₆ ⁴⁻ in the W/O microemulsion is different from that in the aqueous solution. This may be due to the unique liquid structure of the W/O microemulsion and the unique mass transfer in the W/O microemulsion. Foundation item: Projects(20673036, J0830415) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Projects(05JT1026, 2007JT2013) supported by the Science Technology Project of Hunan Province, China     

Antibiotic properties of Al2O3 doping silver

The preparation technique and properties of Ag-type inorganic antibiotic material carried by Al₂O₃ were studied. The results show that the material has good antibiotic and safety properties, the acute toxicity taken by stomata is LD ₅₀>8 000 mg/kg (little and big white rats), and the normal quantity in subacute toxicity test is 80 mg/(kg · d). The better mass fraction of doping Ag₂O in antibiotic material carried by Al₂O₃ is 4%–8%, and the optimal sintering temperature is from 1 000 °C to 1 100 °C. Foundation item: Project (2002AA327090) supported by National High Technology Research and Development Program of China     

Corrosion resistance of plasma sprayed NiCrAl+(ZrO2+Y2O3) thermal barrier coating on 18-8 steel surface

The corrosion resistance of NiCrAl+(ZrO₂+Y₂O₃) thermal barrier coating, formed with the plasma spraying technique, on the 18 - 8 steel surface was investigated. The phase structure and morphology of the coating were analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical corrosion behavior of the coating in 1.0 mol/L H₂SO₄ solution was studied by using electrochemical measurement methods. The results show that the gradient plasma spraying coating is composed of the NiCrAlY coating and the (ZrO₂+Y₂O₃) top coating, and the coating thickness is 360 μm. The microhardness of coating reaches 1 100 HV. The corrosion resistance of the plasma sprayed coating of the 18 - 8 steel surface is about 5 times as great as that of the original pattern. The corrosion resistance of the coating is enhanced notably. Foundation item: Project (5040202140) supported by Scientific Research Common Program of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education     

Preparation and characteristic research of anhydrous magnesium chloride with dehydrated ammonium carnallite

Taking the saline lake bischofite and NH4Cl that was removed with the ammonia method and continuously followed by filtration as raw materials with a molar ratio of 1 ： 1 of MgCl2 to NH4Cl, ammonium carnallite was synthesized. And then the ammonium carnallite was dehydrated to some extent at 160 ℃ for 4 h. Ammonium carnallite reacted with ammonia at 240 ℃ for 150 min and the ammonation ammonium carnallite was produced. Finally, the ammonation ammonium carnallite was calcined at 750 ℃ into anhydrous magnesium chloride containing only 0.1% （mass fraction） of MgO. On the other hand, dehydrated ammonium carnallite was mixed with the solid ammonium chloride at mass ratio 1 ： 4 at high temperature and with the differential pressure of NH3 above 30.5 kPa. The dehydrated ammonium carnallite of mixture was dehydrated at 410 ℃, and then calcined at 700 ℃ into anhydrous magnesium chloride with only 0. 087% （mass fraction） of MgO. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy analysis results prove that anhydrous magnesium chloride obtained by both methods hasn＇t mixed phases,the particle is large and even has good dispersion, which is suitable for preparation of metal magnesium in the electrolysis.     

Influence of Mg3N2 powder on microstructures and mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy

In order to obtain an effective and reliable grain refiner for Mg-Al alloys, 1% （mass fraction） Mg3N2 was added into AZ31 Mg alloy. The microstructures of the Mg alloys were studied by optical microscopy, scan electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, and the mechanical properties were determined. The results show that adding a small amount of Mg3N2 to AZ31 Mg alloy can refine the grain size from 103 to 58 μm. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of AZ31 Mg alloy are 174.1MPa and 8.3%, respectively. After the addition of 1% Mg3N2, the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of AZ31 Mg alloy are increased up to 198.7 MPa and 11.8%, respectively. The grain refinement mechanism is that AIN is formed after Mg3N2 is added. Both AIN and Mg phases are of HCP lattice structure, and the disregistry between Mg phases and AIN along （0001）Mg//（0001）AIN is 3.04%, which is very effective for heterogeneous nucleation.     

Preparation of LiFePO4 for lithium ion battery using Fe2P2O7 as precursor

In order to obtain a new precursor for LiFePO4, Fe2P2O7 with high purity was prepared through solid phase reaction at 650 ℃ using starting materials of FeC2O4 and NH4H2PO4 in an argon atmosphere. Using the as-prepared Fe2P2O7, Li2CO3 and glucose as raw materials, pure LiFePO4 and LiFePO4/C composite materials were respectively synthesized by solid state reaction at 700 ℃ in an argon atmosphere. X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy（SEM） were employed to characterize the as-prepared Fe2P2O7, LiFePO4 and LiFePO4/C. The as-prepared Fe2P2O7 crystallizes in the Cl space group and belongs to β-Fe2P2O7 for crystal phase. The particle size distribution of Fe2P2O7 observed by SEM is 0.4-3.0 μm. During the Li^＋ ion chemical intercalation, radical P2O7^4- is disrupted into two PO4^3- ions in the presence of O^2-, thus providing a feasible technique to dispose this poor dissolvable pyrophosphate. LiFePO4/C composite exhibits initial charge and discharge capacities of 154 and 132 mA·h/g, respectively.     

Influence of oxides on high velocity arc sprayed Fe-Al／Cr3C2 composite coatings

Fe-Al/Cr3C2 coatings were sprayed on low steel by high velocity arc spraying(HVAS) technology. The influences of oxides on erosion, corrosion and wear behavior for high velocity arc sprayed Fe-Al/Cr3C2 coatings were studied. The results show that HVAS-sprayed Fe-Al/Cr3C2 coatings have good erosion, heat corrosion and wear resistance. The erosion resistance improves with the increase of the temperature. On one hand, the ferrous oxides are incompact, so they peel off the surface of the coatings easily during the high temperature erosion. On the other hand, compact Al2O3 films on the surface can protect the coatings.     

First-principle investigation on stability of Co-doped spinel λ-Mn4-xCoxO8

The mechanism of stability of Co-doped spinel λ-MnO2 that is referred to as spinel LixMn2O4 （x=0） was studied by using the first-principle calculation method. The total energy and formation enthalpy can be decreased remarkably due to the Co substation, resulting in a more stable structure ofλ-MnxCr2-xO4. The bond order and DOS analysis were given in detail to explain the nature of stability improvement. The calculated results show that as the content of Co dopant increases, the bond order of Mn-O becomes larger and the peak of density of states around Fermi level shifts toward lower energy. The charge density distribution illustrates that the Mn-O bonding is ionic and partially covalent, and the covalent Mn-O bonding becomes stronger with the increase of Co dopant content. The results confirm that the Co-doping will enhance the stability of λ-MnO2 and hence improve the electrochemistry performance of LixMn2O4.     

Preparation and sintering of nano Fe coated Si3N4 composite powders

Fe/Si₃N₄ composite powder was synthesized by the heterogeneous precipitation-thermal reduction process, and then pressed into flakes under a pressure of 10 MPa. Flakes were sintered by pressureless and hot-pressing at 1 600 °C under 0.1 MPa N₂. The chemical composition, phases and microstructure of composite powder and sintered flakes were investigated by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the structure of composite powders is Si₃N₄ coated by nano Fe. The crystal phases of sintered flakes by pressureless are Fe(Si) compound, SiC and Si₃N₄. The crystal phases of the sintered samples by hot-pressing are Fe, Fe(Si) compound and Si₃N₄. It is found that crystal phases flakes obtained by pressureless and hot-pressing are very different. Foundation item: Project(50804016) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Properties of plasma sprayed NiCrAlY+(ZrO2+Y2O3) coating on refractory steel surface

NiCrAlY+(ZrO₂+Y₂O₃) thermal barrier coating was prepared on the surface of refractory steel 1Cr18Ni9Ti with plasma spraying technique. The phases and microstructure of the thermal barrier coating were determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the bonding between thermal barrier coating and substrate is sound. The surface hardness of 1Cr18Ni9Ti reaches up to 1 000 HV, but that of substrate is only 300 HV. The patterns sprayed with CoNiCrAlY+(ZrO₂+Y₂O₃) ceramic coating have a good heat insulation effect at 800 °C for heat insulation temperature difference reaches 54 °C, which increases the operating temperature and service life of refractory steel. Foundation item: Project (5040202140) supported by Scientific Research Common Program of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education     

Influence on performance and structure of spinel LiMn2O4 for lithium-ion batteries by doping rare-earth Sm

The spinel LiMn₂O₄ used as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries was synthesized by mechano-chemistry fluid activation process, and modified by doping rare-earth Sm. Thesting of X-ray diffraction, cyclic voltammograms, charge-discharge and SEM was carried out for LiMn₂O₄ cathode materials and the modified materials. The results show that the cathode materials doped rare earth Li _x Mn_2−y Sm _z O₄ (0.95⩽x⩽1.2, 0⩽y⩽0.3, 0⩽z⩽0.2) exhibit standard spinel structure, high reversibility of electrochemistry and excellent properties of charge-discharge. In EC: DMC(1 : 1)+1 mol/L LiPF₆ electrolyte with discharge capacity more than 130 mA · h/g, and its capacity is deteriorated less than 15% after 300 cycles at room temperature and less than 20% after 200 cycles at 55°C. At the same time, Crystal Field Theory was applied to explain the function and mechanism of doped rare earth element. Foundation item: Project (02JJY2081) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province     

Kinetics of nickel leaching from roasting-dissolving residue of spent catalyst with sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid leaching process was applied to extract nickel from roasting-dissolving residue of a spent catalyst, the effect of different parameters on nickel extraction was investigated by leaching experiments, and the leaching kinetics of nickel was analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the effects of particle size and sulfuric acid concentration on the nickel extraction are remarkable; the effect of reaction temperature is mild; while the effect of stirring speed in the range of 400–1 200 r/min is negligible. Decreasing particle size or increasing sulfuric acid concentration and reaction temperature, the nickel extraction efficiency is improved. 93.5% of nickel in residue is extracted under suitable leaching conditions, including particle size (0.074–0.100) mm, sulfuric acid concentration 30% (mass fraction), temperature 80 °C, reaction time 180 min, mass ratio of liquid to solid 10 and stirring speed 800 r/min. The leaching kinetics analyses shows that the reaction rate of leaching process is controlled by diffusion through the product layer, and the calculated activation energy of 15.8 kJ/mol is characteristic for a diffusion controlled process. Foundation item: Project (50574101) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China; Project (2003UDBEA00C020) supported by the Collaborative Project of School and Province of Yunnan Province, China     

Effect of anions on preparation of ultrafine α-Al2O3 powder

Ultrafine alumina power was obtained by calcining the precursor at 1 200 ℃ for 2 h, which was prepared by homogeneous precipitation method using aluminium salts and urea as raw materials. The effects of anions on the morphology, particle size, surface area and configuration of the precursors were studied. The results show that the reactions of urea with aluminium nitrate and aluminium chloride result in agglomerates gels with bad filtering performance, the morphology is fibrillar. Aluminium sulphate-urea reactions result in the direct formation of amorphous powders with good filtering performance, of which morphology are regular spherical particles with larger granularity and smaller surface area. The reaction of mutual compound of aluminium sulphate and aluminium nitrate with molar ratio of 40:60 with urea can produce precursor with good filtering performance, spherical morphology, and uniform granularity distribution in the particle size range of 2-3 μm.