Abstract:
The low O
2− diffusion rate in the electro-deoxidation of titanium containing compounds by either the OS process or the FFC process leads to a low reaction speed and a low current efficiency. In this study, Ca
3Ti
2O
7 was used as a precursor to improve the reduction speed of titanium. Because of the greater number of “diffusion channels” created in cathode as Ca
2+ liberates from Ca
3Ti
2O
7 precursor in the electro-deoxidation process, the O
2− diffusion rate was improved significantly by using Ca
3Ti
2O
7 instead of CaTiO
3 as precursor. Parallel constant voltage electrolysis (3.2 V) confirms that Ca
3Ti
2O
7 and CaTiO
3 are reduced simultaneously because of their similar crystal structures. However, the reduction area of Ca
3Ti
2O
7 spreads much faster than that of CaTiO
3, indicating a difference in the O
2− diffusion rate. Constant voltage cyclic voltammetry (CV) and theoretical analysis of the crystal structure were also conducted to compare the differences between Ca
3Ti
2O
7 and CaTiO
3. The results indicate that using a precursor with a greater number of soluble cations, titanium reduction speed can be greatly improved in the electro-deoxidation process. Finally, a new electrolysis method for converting and recycling excess CaO from the Ca
3Ti
2O
7 precursor was proposed.