Preparation of zirconium by electro-deoxidization in molten salt

摘要

Metal zirconium was prepared by electro-deoxidization method. Using CaCl{sub}2 molten salt as electrolyte, sintered ZrO{sub}2 pallets as cathode, graphite rod as anode, the pallets were electrolyzed at 900°C and 3.1V for 8, 10 and 12h, respectively. The mechanism of electro-deoxidization of ZrO{sub}2 was studied preliminarily. The results show that the morphologies of cathode pallets affect the forming process of products. The process of electro-deoxidization of ZrO{sub}2 in the molten salt is conducted step by step, from exterior of cathode to its interior and from high valence oxide to low valence oxide until to metal.