Influence of yttria addition on the phase transformations of zirconia from zircon ore by carbothermal reduction process

Zircon ore carbothermal reduction with yttria addition has been carried out. The influences of heating temperature and yttria addition on the phase transformations of zirconia from zircon ore by carbothermal reduction have been investigated in detail. The phase transformations of zirconia from zircon ore by carbothermal reduction were monitored by X-ray diffraction. The microstructure and micro-area chemical analysis of the products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer. The chemical states of Zr 3d, Y 3d and O 1s presented in the products of zircon carbothermal reduction with 10 wt% yttria addition were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the optimized heating temperature of zircon carbothermal reduction with no addition was 1600 °C, and the main phase of the products consists of m-ZrO₂, c-ZrO₂, ZrC and β-SiC. Yttria addition could be introduced into zirconia lattice and caused it to form Y₂O₃ stabilized zirconia. Zirconia in the products would be turned into partially stabilized zirconia with yttria addition from 1 wt% to 5 wt% while it would exist in the form of fully stabilized zirconia with over 8 wt% yttria addition.     

Products of carbothermal reduction of tungsten oxides in argon flow

The investigation into carbothermal reduction of tungsten oxides has shown that this process involves several steps: WO₃ → WO_2.72 → WO₂ → W. The resulting oxide is rapidly reduced to tungsten metal at 950°C. The carbidization process has a diffusion mechanism. The staged character of carbothermal reduction of tungsten oxides and subsequent carbidization of tungsten are confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, which made it possible to determine the phase composition and size of the resulting particles.     

LiFePO4/C composites from carbothermal reduction method

Using the cheap raw materials lithium carbonate, iron phosphate, and carbon, LiFePO₄/C composite can be obtained from the carbothermal reduction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM) observations were used to investigate the structure and morphology of LiFePO₄/C. The LiFePO₄ particles were coated by smaller carbon particles. LiFePO₄/C obtained at 750 °C presents good electrochemical performance with an initial discharge capacity of 133 mAh/g, capacity retention of 128 mAh/g after 20 cycles, and a diffusion coefficient of lithium ions in the LiFePO₄/C of 8.80?×?10^?13 cm²/s, which is just a little lower than that of LiFePO₄/C obtained from the solid-state reaction (9.20?×?10^?13 cm²/s) by using FeC₂O₄ as a precursor.     

Processing of mineral and technogeneous raw materials by carbothermal reduction

Current studies dealing with the preparation of promising materials (most of all, ceramics) by carbothermal reduction (CR) of mineral and technogeneous raw materials is surveyed. Attention is concentrated on the mechanisms and kinetics of chemical reactions occurring during the CR process and on the effects of varying some factors during the reduction (temperature, duration of annealing, composition of the gas phase, ratio of the components, density of the blend,etc.) on the compositions and properties of the final products. Ways of optimizing particular technological schemes for the production of new materials by the CR method are discussed. Deceased. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 233–245, February, 1997.     

Kinetic study on thermal decomposition of the high-temperature superconductor in vacuum microbalance

In this paper the theoretical approach and applications of Cahn ultramicrobalance to kinetic study on the thermal decomposition of the high-temperature Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-x superconductor are presented. Thermogravimetric in situ measurements of oxygen loss from Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O₆ samples heated isothermally in a relatively high dynamic vacuum were performed with a Cahn RG electrobalance. Single-phase orthorhombic samples of composition Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7-x (highest oxygen content) were synthesized from stoichiometric (1:2:3) mixtures of high-purity Y₂O₃, BaCO₃ and CuO. The original 1:2:3 mixture was prepared by the two-stage procedure described earlier. The crystal structure of the sample in the original orthorhombic phase was controlled by the X-ray powder method (CuK_α radiation) using a Stadi P Stoe diffractometer with a position-sensitive detector. Activation energy is estimated from appropriate Arrhenius plots. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal analysis of formation of sialons by carbothermal reduction of clays

The formation at high temperatures of phases such as β′,X, and O′-sialon by carbothermal reduction of clays has been studied using simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA). Two reducing agents, silicon carbide and carbon, were used, with either kaolinite or bentonite. The progress of reaction was followed by interrupted and continuous thermal analysis procedures using STA and TMA and the changes correlated with the phases observed by X-ray diffraction at different stages. The conversion of kaolinite to β′-sialon is characterised by the dehydration and transformation of kaolinite independent of the nitriding atmosphere below 1400°C. At higher temperatures nitriding commences. Similar behaviour is observed with bentonite transforming to lower substitution sialon phases. The weight changes are correlated with oxidation/reduction reactions and mechanisms are suggested to explain the observed phenomena. The data obtained will permit the optimization of thermal cycles for batch production of sialon powders from natural minerals.     

Route to GaN and VN assisted by carbothermal reduction process

A route to prepare nitrides, such as GaN, VN, and other nitrides, is reported. The reaction pathway involves a two-step process by using the as-synthesized a-C3N3.69 as precursor. The route is so potent that a series of nitrides can be directly synthesized from their oxides at moderate temperatures. A striking feature of this method lies in that a-C3N3.69 is found to play double roles as both carbonizing and nitridizing agent in these reactions. These results will greatly deepen our understandings of the mechanism for solid-state metathesis reactions.     

Synthesis of TiB2 by carbothermal reduction of oxides at lowered temperatures

Possibility is considered of obtaining multicomponent oxide systems as afterburning catalysts for automobiles by flame-electrolytic oxidation and impregnation of oxide structures on aluminum.     

Low-temperature vacuum reduction of BiMnO3

Low-temperature vacuum reduction was used for the preparation of the oxygen-deficient BiMnO(2.81) sample in a bulk form from stoichiometric BiMnO(3). The transformation occurs in vacuum better than 10(-3) Pa at a narrow temperature range of 570-600 K. The structure of the new phase was analyzed using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data. BiMnO(2.81) crystallizes in a perovskite-type cubic structure (space group I-43d) with a = 15.88552(5) ? corresponding to a 4a(p) superstructure, where a(p) is the parameter of the cubic perovskite subcell. Oxygen vacancies are ordered, and one oxygen site in BiMnO(2.81) is completely vacant, resulting in MnO(5) pyramids. BiMnO(2.81) is rather unstable in air and slowly restores its oxygen content even at room temperature.     

Kinetic study of the reduction of hydroxylamine by Cu(I)

We have studied the reduction of Se^IV in acidic medium (1 M HCl and 1 M HClO₄) by classical and alternating current polarography and single sweep linear voltammetry with dropping mercury electrode and hanging mercury drop (HMDE). Two steps are observed distinctly: (1) The reduction of Se^IV→Se^o leads to a deposit of adsorbed elementary selenium. A mathematical expression is shown for the variation of current which is related to the surface covered at the HMDE. (2) The second step is the reduction of Se^o→Se^2? which takes place at more negative potentials. The accumulation of Se^o may be used for the determination of traces in trace analysis by cathodic stripping. It appears that the behavior of selenium in these two mineral acids is similar. But sometimes it behaves in a different manner, especially in a.c. polarography (in this connection the influence of frequency and demodulation angle are important).     

A sodium vanadium three-fluorophosphate cathode for rechargeable batteries synthesized by carbothermal reduction

Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂F₃, which could be used as cathode in Na-ion or Li-ion rechargeable batteries, was synthesized by carbothermal reduction (CTR) method at 700 °C with coralline structure by SEM analysis. The Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂F₃ cathode in Li-ion battery displayed an appreciable capacity of 188 mAh/g with a discharge plateau at 3.7 V under close-to-equilibrium galvanostatic conditions illuminating the feasible extraction of three Na ions per unit, and 130 mAh/g with retention of 96.8% after 37 cycles at 0.1 C. The NASICON-type structure could produce a large diffusion coefficient due to the three-dimensional framework, but cause a low conductivity and OCV around 3 V. The cathode could reach 188 mAh/g at 0.1 C, with a more 20 mAh/g at 3.7 V after washing by distilled water.     

Abiotic reduction of uranium by mackinawite (FeS) biogenerated under sulfate-reducing condition

Sulfate-reducing bacteria and their by-products, such as iron sulfides, are widely distributed in groundwater and sediments, and can affect subsurface aqueous chemistry. Here we show the catalytic reduction of hexavalent uranium by FeS particles, which were largely generated by the activities of Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and D. vulgaris in anaerobic condition. Characterization of FeS particles by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of mackinawite having thin and flexible platy sheets with 0.5-nm lamellar spacing. This biogenic phase mediated abiotic reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) which was confirmed by UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. The U conversion occurred through surface catalysis that involved adsorption of aqueous U(VI)–carbonate complexes (predominantly UO₂(CO₃) ₃ ^4? ) onto the mackinawite, but the transformed uranium was then released and remained in suspended form in the solution phase. This surface catalysis and subsequent U(IV) remobilization has not been reported as a pathway to occur under sulfate-reducing conditions. Our results suggest that the iron sulfide solid, which is characteristic of conductive property, is very sensitive and variable depending on the electron supplying and transferring environment, negatively affecting the surface uranium to be strongly stabilized and fixed on the FeS surface.     

Mechanism of carbothermal reduction of iron, cobalt, nickel and copper oxides

A new scheme of thermal dissociation which is based on the dissociative evaporation of the reactant with simultaneous condensation of the low-volatile product has been invoked to interpret the kinetics of reduction of FeO, CoO, NiO and Cu₂O by carbon. A critical analysis of literature data and their comparison with theoretical calculations has shown that the main kinetic characteristics of carbothermal reduction, including the initial decomposition temperature and activation energy are in full agreement with the proposed mechanism of decomposition. Condensation of the low-volatile product (metal vapour) in the reaction zone and partial transport of condensation energy to the oxide account for the features which are typical of solid state reactions and manifest themselves in the appearance of periods of induction and acceleration in the course of the process. Carbon fulfils the role of buffer in this process. This is supported by an appearance of metals in the condensed phase and a higher than equilibrium partial pressure of oxygen in high-vacuum experiments with Knudsen cells.     

Kinetic study of zirconia crystallization from amorphous ZrO2-SiO2 composite precursors processed by sol-gel chemistry

Powder precursor gels with composition xZrO₂·(100–x)SiO₂, with selected values of x=8, 24, 43 and 75 mol%, were processed by sol-gel chemistry. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) was used to study crystallization in (cubic/tetragonal)-ZrO₂ during the heating of the reactive amorphous precursors. Kinetic parameters such as activation energy, Avrami's exponent and frequency factor have been simultaneously calculated from the computed DTA data using a previously reported kinetic model. The crystallization temperature decreases relative to the increase in the amount of ZrO₂, the value of the kinetic parameter of the crystallization being related to the value of x.     

Kinetic and mechanistic study of the reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol by dithionites

The reaction of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPI) and dithionites is studied kinetically by applying the stopped-flow technique. Reaction rate constants are given for the pH range 1.30–6.80. The reaction was found to follow first-order kinetics with respect to each of the reactants. For pH 3.97, 5.10 and 6.80, the second-order reaction rate constant was determined by applying four different technique. Mean values of k = 172±5, 200±2 and 276±4 l mol^?1s^?1 are given for pH 3.97, 5.10 and 6.80, respectively. A mechanism is proposed for the reaction, which suggests partial reactions of all possible species of DCPI and dithionites at any pH. An equation for the calculation of k at any pH is derived, which gives k as a function of [H⁺], the partial reaction rate constants and the dissociation constants of DCPI and H₂S₂O₄. Values of reaction rate constants of all possible partial reactions are also presented.