Current efficiency in electro-winning of lanthanum and cerium metals from molten chloride electrolytes

The objective of this study is to prepare lan- thanum and cerium metals by fused salt electrolysis of their anhydrous chloride in molten media such as LiCl-KCl, NaCl-KCl, KCl, NaCl, and LiCl and to characterize the metal deposit by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence, and inductive coupled plasma-atomic emis- sion spectroscopy. Deposit metal of purity more than 99 % was obtained in each of the experiments. The entire process starting from preparation of anhydrous lanthanum/cerium chloride to electrolysis yielding of metal deposits has been described. The effect of process parameters such as tem- perature, electrolyte composition, and current density on the current efficiency was studied. All these parameters were varied to get the highest current efficiency and metal yield. The major non-rare earth impurities with the deposit are found to be Fe, Cr, and Ni along with - 1× 10^-3 of total gaseous impurities.

Current Efficiency of Low Temperature Aluminum Electrolysis Studied by Neural Network

A prediction model for Current Efficiency (CE) of low temperature aluminum electrolysis (LTAE) with the low molar ratioelectfolyte of Na3AIF6-AIF3 - CaF2-MgF2-LiF -Al2O3 system was investigated based on artificial neural network principles. The nonlinearmapping between CE of LATE and various electrolytic conditions was obtained from a number of experimental data and used to predictCE of LATE. The trsined neural networks possessed high precision and resulted in a good predicting effect. As a result, attificial neuralnetworks as a new cooperating and predicting technology provide a new approach to the further studies on low temperature aluminumelectrolysis.

Investigation of electron cyclotron current drive efficiency on the J-TEXT tokamak

Electron cyclotron current drive(ECCD) efficiency research is of great importance for the neoclassical tearing mode(NTM) stabilization.Improving ECCD efficiency is beneficial for the NTM stabilization and the ECCD power threshold reduction.ECCD efficiency has been investigated on the J-TEXT tokamak.The electron cyclotron wave(ECW) power scan was performed to obtain the current drive efficiency.The current drive efficiency is derived to be approximately η_(0)=(0.06-0.16)×10^(19)A m^(-2)W^(-1)on the J-TEXT tokamak.The effect of the residual toroidal electric field has been included in the determination of the current drive efficiency,which will enhance the ECCD efficiency.At the plasma current of I_(p)=100 kA and electron density of n_(e)=1.5×10^(19)m^(-3),the ratio of Spitzer conductivity between omhic(OH)and ECCD phases is considered and the experimental data have been corrected.The correction results show that the current drive efficiency η_(1)caused by the fast electron hot conductivity decreases by approximately 79%.It can be estimated that the driven current is approximately 24 kA at 300 kW ECW power.

A Study of Energy Conversion Efficiency Versus Plasma Density by Lower Hybrid Current Drive in HT-7 Tokamak

Ramp-up experiments by means of lower hybrid wave on HT-7 superconducting tokamak have been performed and analyzed. A ramp-up rate of over 300 kA/s is obtained and a conversion efficiency of over 1.0% has been achieved during the ramp-up phase. The study of the dependence of conversion efficiency on plasma density shows that the conversion efficiency is affected by the driven current, which is mainly dominated by the competition of impurity concentration with wave accessibility condition. In addition, the effect of current profile may play an important role in determining the conversion efficiency.

Comparison of electrochemical behaviors of Ti-5Al-2Sn-4Zr-4Mo-2Cr-1Fe and Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloys in NaNO_(3) solution

The Ti-5Al-2Sn-4Zr-4Mo-2Cr-1Fe(β-CEZ)alloy is considered as a potential structural material in the aviation industry due to its outstanding strength and corrosion resistance.Electrochemical machining(ECM)is an efficient and low-cost technology for manufacturing theβ-CEZ alloy.In ECM,the machining parameter selection and tool design are based on the electrochemical dissolution behavior of the materials.In this study,the electrochemical dissolution behaviors of theβ-CEZ and Ti-6Al-4V(TC4)alloys in NaNO3solution are discussed.The open circuit potential(OCP),Tafel polarization,potentiodynamic polarization,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),and current efficiency curves of theβ-CEZ and TC4 alloys are analyzed.The results show that,compared to the TC4 alloy,the passivation film structure is denser and the charge transfer resistance in the dissolution process is greater for theβ-CEZ alloy.Moreover,the dissolved surface morphology of the two titanium-based alloys under different current densities are analyzed.Under low current densities,theβ-CEZ alloy surface comprises dissolution pits and dissolved products,while the TC4 alloy surface comprises a porous honeycomb structure.Under high current densities,the surface waviness of both the alloys improves and the TC4 alloy surface is flatter and smoother than theβ-CEZ alloy surface.Finally,the electrochemical dissolution models ofβ-CEZ and TC4 alloys are proposed.

Enhanced recovery of high-purity Fe powder from iron-rich electrolytic manganese residue by slurry electrolysis

Iron-rich electrolytic manganese residue(IREMR)is an industrial waste produced during the processing of electrolytic metal manganese,and it contains certain amounts of Fe and Mn resources and other heavy metals.In this study,the slurry electrolysis technique was used to recover high-purity Fe powder from IREMR.The effects of IREMR and H2SO4 mass ratio,current density,reaction temper-ature,and electrolytic time on the leaching and current efficiencies of Fe were studied.According to the results,high-purity Fe powder can be recovered from the cathode plate,and the slurry electrolyte can be recycled.The leaching efficiency,current efficiency,and purity of Fe reached 92.58%,80.65%,and 98.72wt%,respectively,at a 1:2.5 mass ratio of H2SO4 and IREMR,reaction temperature of 60℃,electric current density of 30 mA/cm^(2),and reaction time of 8 h.In addition,vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM)analysis showed that the coercivity of electrolytic iron powder was 54.5 A/m,which reached the advanced magnetic grade of electrical pure-iron powder(DT4A coercivity standard).The slurry electrolytic method provides fundamental support for the industrial application of Fe resource recovery in IRMER.

Efficiency of a blue organic light-emitting diode enhanced by inserting charge control layers into the emission region

We demonstrate high current efficiency of a blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diode （OLED） by using the charge control layers （CCLs） based on Alq3 . The CCLs that are inserted into the emitting layers （EMLs） could impede the hole injection and facilitate the electron transport, which can improve the carrier balance and further expand the exciton generation region. The maximal current efficiency of the optimal device is 5.89 cd/A at 1.81 mA/cm2 , which is about 2.19 times higher than that of the control device （CD） without the CCL, and the maximal luminance is 19.660 cd/m2 at 12V. The device shows a good color stability though the green light emitting material Alq3 is introduced as the CCL in the EML, but it has a poor lifetime due to the formation of cationic Alq3 species.

Influence of anode current density on carbon parasitic reactions during electrolysis

In the electro-deoxidation process,carbon parasitic reaction(CO_(3)^(2-)+4e–=C+3O^(2-))usually occurs when using carbon materials as the anode,which leads to increase of the carbon content in the final metal and decrease of the current efficiency of the process.The aim of this work is to reduce the negative effect of carbon parasitic reaction on the electrolysis process by adjusting anode current density.The results indicate that lower graphite anode area can achieve higher current density,which is helpful to increase the nucleation site of CO_(2) bubbles.Most of CO_(2) would be released from the anode instead of dissolution in the molten CaCl_(2) and reacting with O^(2-)to form CO_(3)^(2-),thus decreasing the carbon parasitic reaction of the process.Furthermore,the results of the compared experiments show that when the anode area decreases from 172.78 to 4.99 cm^(2),CO_(2) concentration in the released gases increases significantly,the carbon mass content in the final metal product decreased from 1.09%to 0.13%,and the current efficiency increased from 6.65%to 36.50%.This study determined a suitable anode current density range for reducing carbon parasitic reaction and provides a valuable reference for the selection of the anode in the electrolysis process.

Numerical simulation of electron cyclotron current drive characteristics on EAST

Electron cyclotron current drive （ECCD） will be applied in the EAST tokamak during its the new campaign. In order to provide theoretical predictions for relevant physical experiments, some numerical simulations of ECCD with the parameters of EAST have been can＇ied out by using TORAY-GA code based on the understanding of ECCD mechanisms. ECCD efficiencies achieved in different plasma and electron cyclotron （EC） wave parameters are given. The dependences of ECCD characteristics on EC wave injection angle, toroidal magnetic field, plasma density, and temperature are presented and discussed.

Transport enhancement and efficiency optimization in two heat reservoir ratchets

We study a Brownian motor moving in a sawtooth potential in the presence of an external driving force and two heat reservoirs.Based on the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation,the analytical expressions of the current and efficiency in the quasi-steady-state limit are obtained.The effects of temperature difference and the amplitude of the external driving force on the current and efficiency are discussed,respectively.The following is our findings.（i） The current increases with both δ and A.In other words,δ and A enhance the transport of the Brownian motor.（ii） The competition between the temperature difference and the amplitude of the external driving force can lead to efficiency optimization.The efficiency is a peaked function of temperature,i.e.,δ 0 and a lower amplitude value of the external driving force is necessary for efficiency optimization.（iii） The efficiency increases with δ,and decreases with A.δ and A play opposite roles with respect to the efficiency,which indicates that δ enhances the efficiency of energy transformation while A weakens it.

Preparation of Mg-Li-Sm alloys by electrocodeposition in molten salt

Electrocodeposition of Mg-Li-Sm alloys was investigated in molten KCl-LiCl-MgCl2-SmCl3-KF system.The effects of electrolytic temperature and cathodic current density on current efficiency were studied and optimal electrolysis parameters were obtained.The optimum electrolysis condition was a molten salt mixture of LiCl:KCl =50:50(wt.%),electrolytic temperature:660 oC,cathode current density:9.5 A/cm2 and electrolysis time of 40 min.The current efficiency reached 77.3%.X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning elec...

Preparation of Mg-Li alloys by electrolysis in molten salt at low temperature

A new technology for preparation of low cost Mg-Li alloys was studied. The alloys were prepared by electrolysis in molten LiCl-KCl （weight ratio is 1：1） electrolyte with Mg rod severing as the consumed cathode. Main factors that affect current efficiency were investigated, and optimal electrolysis parameters were obtained. Mg-Li alloys with low lithium Content （about 25%） were prepared by the unique method of a higher post-thermal treatment temperature after electrolysis at low temperature. The results showed that the electrolysis can be carried out at low temperature, which resulted in reducing preparation cost due to energy saving. The new technology for the oreoaration of Mg-Li alloy by electrolysis in molten salt was laroved to be feasible.

LOW TEMPERATURE ALUMINUM FLOATING ELECTROLYSIS IN HEAVY ELECTROLYTE Na_3AlF_6-AlF_3-BaC1_2-NaCl BATH SYSTEM

Multiple regression equations of liquidus temperature, electrical conductivity and bath density of the Na_3AlF_6-AlF_3-BaC1_2-NaCl system were obtained from experiments by using orthogonal regression method. The experiments were carried out in 100A cell with low melting point electrolyte, the influences of cathodic current density, electrolytic temperature, density differences of bath and liquid aluminum on current efficiency (CE) were studied; when the electrolyte cryolite ratio was 2.5, w(BaC1_2) and w(NaCl) were 48% and 10%, respectively, CE reached 90% and specific energy consumption was 10.97k Wb/kg/kg. Because of the fact that aluminum metal obtained floated on the surface of molten electrolyte, this electrolysis method was then defined as low temperature aluminum floating electrolysis. The results showed that the new low temperature aluminum electrolysis process in the Na_3AlF_6-AlF_3-BaC1_2-NaCl bath system was practical and promising.

Effects of Br^- and I^- concentrations on Zn electrodeposition from ammoniacal electrolytes

The effects of Br- and I- concentrations on the cell voltage, anodic polarization, current efficiency （CE）, and energy consumption （EC） of zinc electrodeposition from ammoniacal ammonium chloride solutions were investigated. The surface morphology of zinc deposits was also examined. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD） were used to characterize the morphology of zinc deposits and the phase of anodic sediments produced during electrolysis. The results clearly showed that the CE slightly increased from approximately 95.12% in the absence of F and Br- to 97.08% in the presence of 10 g·L-1 Br; in contrast, the CE significantly decreased to less than 83% in the presence of 10 g·L-1 I- . The addition of Br and I- positively affected the EC, which decreased from 2514 kW·h·t-1 to approximately 2300 kW·h·t-1. The results of anodic polarization measurements showed that the voltage drops were 130 and 510 mV when the concentrations of Br- and I- were 10 g·L-1 at a eUlTent density of 400 A·m2, respectively. SEM images showed that the addition of Br- and I- caused different crystal growth mechanisms, which resulted in the production of compact and smooth zinc deposits. The anodic reactions of I were also studied.

Improved light extraction of organic light emitting diodes with a nanopillar pattering structure

We have investigated the properties of organic light emitting diodes （OLEDs） with a nanopillar patterning structure at organic-metal or organic-organic interfaces. The results demonstrate that the introduction of a nanopillar structure can improve the light extraction efficiency greatly. We also find that the number, height, and position of nanopillars all affect the light extraction of OLEDs. The maximum power efficiency of a device with an optimized nanopillar patterning mode can be improved to 2.47 times that of the reference device. This enhancement in light extraction originates from the improved injected carriers, the broadened charge recombination zone, and the intensified wave guiding effects.

Analysis of proton and γ-ray radiation effects on CMOS active pixel sensors

Radiation effects on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor（CMOS） active pixel sensors（APS） induced by proton and γ-ray are presented. The samples are manufactured with the standards of 0.35 μm CMOS technology. Two samples have been irradiated un-biased by 23 MeV protons with fluences of 1.43 × 10^11 protons/cm^2 and 2.14 × 10^11 protons/cm-2,respectively, while another sample has been exposed un-biased to 65 krad（Si） ^60Co γ-ray. The influences of radiation on the dark current, fixed-pattern noise under illumination, quantum efficiency, and conversion gain of the samples are investigated. The dark current, which increases drastically, is obtained by the theory based on thermal generation and the trap induced upon the irradiation. Both γ-ray and proton irradiation increase the non-uniformity of the signal, but the nonuniformity induced by protons is even worse. The degradation mechanisms of CMOS APS image sensors are analyzed,especially for the interaction induced by proton displacement damage and total ion dose（TID） damage.

Simulation of Secondary Electron and Backscattered Electron Emission in A6 Relativistic Magnetron Driven by Different Cathode

Prticle-in-cell（PIC） simulations demonstrated that,when the relativistic magnetron with diffraction output（MDO） is applied with a 410 kV voltage pulse,or when the relativistic magnetron with radial output is applied with a 350 kV voltage pulse,electrons emitted from the cathode with high energy will strike the anode block wall.The emitted secondary electrons and backscattered electrons affect the interaction between electrons and RF fields induced by the operating modes,which decreases the output power in the radial output relativistic magnetron by about 15%（10%for the axial output relativistic magnetron）,decreases the anode current by about 5%（5%for the axial output relativistic magnetron）,and leads to a decrease of electronic efficiency by 8%（6%for the axial output relativistic magnetron）.The peak value of the current formed by secondary and backscattered current equals nearly half of the amplitude of the anode current,which may help the growth of parasitic modes when the applied magnetic field is near the critical magnetic field separating neighboring modes.Thus,mode competition becomes more serious.

Optimal V_(2)O_(3) extraction by sustainable vanadate electrolysis in molten salts

Recently,an environmentally friendly electrolysis process of soluble vanadates is proposed and successfully confirmed for V_(2)O_(3) extraction.In this paper,the solubilities of various vanadates(i.e.NaVO_(3),Na_(4)V_(2)O_(7) and Na_(3)VO_(4))in NaCl molten salt are measured.The dependences of V_(2)O_(3) extraction on vanadate form,anode material and molten salt system are studied.A long-term electrolysis is carried out.The result indicates that the solubilities of all vanadates are high and meet electrolytic requirements.Compared to Na_(4)V_(2)O_(7) and Na_(3)VO_(4),NaVO_(3) exhibits larger current efficiency and lower electricity consumption.By using SnO_(2) anode instead of graphite anode,the current efficiency of NaVO_(3) electrolysis can be increased to 58.1%and carbon pollution is avoided at 700℃.The extraction rate of V_(2)O_(3) reaches 81.3%after long-term electrolysis of 51 h.This work optimizes the electrochemical preparation process of V_(2)O_(3) from various vanadates and contributes to the improvement of current efficiency and extraction rate.

Dependency of the pulsed electrochemical machining characteristics of Inconel 718 in NaNO_(3)solution on the pulse current

Pulsed electrochemical machining(PECM)has attracted increasing interest as a technique to improve material dissolution localization and surface quality.This work systematically investigates the effects of pulse current on the surface morphology,profile accuracy,and corrosion behavior of Inconel 718(IN718)in NaNO_(3)solution.Polarization behavior reveals that IN718 in NaNO_(3)solution during pulse current machining exhibited significant passive,transpassive,and re-passive characteristics.The passive film generated at the re-passive state contained some oxides and had a loose porous structure.The critical value for the quantity of electric charge to rupture the passive film was determined to be 26.88℃cm^(−2).The current efficiency indicates that the material removal rate of IN718 in NaNO_(3)solution during pulse current machining was nonlinear.The PECM experiments indicate that the loading process of the electrical double layer was prolonged with an increased workpiece scale,i.e.,the loading process of the electrical double layer lasted for the entire pulse-on time when the workpiece scale was 100 mm^(2)at a frequency of more than 10 kHz regardless of the duty cycle.A pulse current with a short pulse length and short pulse period improved the profile accuracy,as did the low applied voltage and small workpiece scale.The dissolution mechanism of IN718 in NaNO_(3)solution was also investigated based on the effective pulse current time.Finally,the leading-edge structure of a ruled blade with good dimensional accuracy and surface quality was successfully fabricated.The maximum deviations of the machined profile were effectively restricted within 0.057 mm,and the surface roughness was Ra=0.358μm.

Enhanced efficiency of top-emission InP-based green quantum dot light-emitting diodes with optimized angular distribution

High resolution and wide color gamut are two key requirements for novel display technologies. Owing to the distinguishing advantages over conventional displays, such as intrinsic wide color gamut and the possibility to achieve high resolution, quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLED) have drawn considerable attention in recent years. On the other hand, indium phosphide quantum dots (InP QDs) have shown a great potential as a replacement for cadmium selenide (CdSe) QDs in display applications due to the inherent toxicity of cadmium-based QDs. In this study, we investigate a top-emission InP-based green QLED with optimized angular distribution. By adjusting the electrical and optical architecture, the device exhibits improved properties with a maximum current efficiency of 30.1 cd/A and a narrowed full width at half maxima (FWHM)of 31 nm, which are the best results ever reported to our knowledge.