Phase transformation behavior of titanium during carbothermic reduction of titanomagnetite ironsand

The reduction of titanomagnetite (TTM) ironsand, which contains 11.41wt% TiO₂ and 55.63wt% total Fe, by graphite was performed using a thermogravimetric analysis system under an argon gas atmosphere at 1423–1623 K. The behavior and effects of titanium in TTM ironsand during the reduction process were investigated by means of thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. During the reduction procedure, the titanium concentrated in the slag phase, where the phase transformation followed this sequence: FeO + FeTiO₃ → Fe₂TiO₄ → FeTiO₃ → FeTi₂O₅ → TiO₂. The calculated results for the reduction kinetics showed that the carbothermic reduction was controlled by the diffusion of ions through the product layer. Furthermore, the apparent activation energy was 170.35 kJ·mol-1.     

铝粉对钒钛磁铁精矿碳热还原及熔分过程的影响

研究了铝粉对钒钛磁铁精矿碳热还原及熔分过程的影响。结果表明：添加铝粉能提高钒钛磁铁精矿碳热还原反应速率。铝粉添加量越大,还原反应越快。在还原反应过程中,铝热还原反应的发生放出了大量热量,并在其反应界面周围形成局部高温,从而强化碳热还原反应过程,同时促进新生金属铁聚集长大。添加1%铝粉可稍微改善渣金分离;当铝粉添加量大于2%时,由于TiC的生成,渣的流动性变差,渣铁分离效果恶化。     

Pyrolysis of Iron(III) porphyrin coated Pt/C toward oxygen reduction reaction in acidic medium

Design and synthesis of highly active and durable electrocatalysts toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is of particular importance for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), yet remains a grand challenge. Herein, we report the deposition of iron (III) porphyrin (FeP) on house-made Pt/C by rotary evaporation of the mixture of FeP and house-made Pt/C dispersed in chloroform, followed by pyrolysis at 650 °C in argon atmosphere. This approach led to the synthesis of new non-precious metal electrocatalyst (NPME)-Pt/C composites (Pt/C–FeP) with an average nanoparticle diameter of 3.1 ± 1.5 nm without aggregation. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the binding energy of Pt 4f_7/2 became larger due to the presence of pyrolyzed FeP. In addition, the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of Pt/C–FeP-650 is 65 m²/g less than that of house-made Pt/C (80.2 m²/g). This implies that the pyrolyzed FeP may have partially covered the surface of Pt nanoparticles and thus lowering the ECSA. Interestingly, the mass activity (MA) of Pt/C–FeP turns out to be 349.0 mA/mg_Pt @0.9 V vs. RHE, which is 2.6 times and 1.5 times of house-made Pt/C and commercial Pt/C, respectively. It is speculated that the electronic interaction and possible synergy between Pt and pyrolyzed FeP as NPME might have contributed to the ORR activity improvement despite of partial loss of ECSA. During accelerated durability tests (ADTs), the MA of Pt/C–FeP-650 degrades 64.3% inferior to commercial Pt/C (52.2%). The main reason likely arises from the degradation of pyrolyzed FeP, which is a bottleneck problem confronting NPMEs.     

The synthesis and characterization of a Co-N/C composite catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in acidic solution

A non-precious metal Co-N/C catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was synthesized by heating a mechanical mixture of cobalt chloride, urea and acetylene black under a nitrogen atmosphere. The catalyst was characterized by XRD and XPS. The electrocatalytic activity in the ORR was evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry in 0.5 mol L⁻¹ H₂SO₄ solution. The results show that the Co-N/C catalyst aids the reduction of oxygen. The presence of elemental cobalt in the precursor allows nitrogen atoms to embed themselves in the graphite matrix to form pyridinic and graphitic type C-N structures as the ORR active sites. The effect of heat-treating temperature on the catalytic activity was also investigated. The results also show that the Co-N/C catalyst is most active when pyrolyzed at 600°C. The obtained Co-N/C catalyst loses some activity after initial exposure to the H₂SO₄ solution because of leaching, but is then stable for up to 20 h immersion. The catalyst is also stable when charged, which is supported by the cyclic voltammetry results.