Dissolution behavior of palladium and rhodium in glass melts: Implications for the viscosity and electrical conductivity of high-temperature melts

Abstract

This article investigated the solubility of platinum group metals (PGMs) in sodium borosilicate glass and its effect on the viscosity and electrical conductivity of melts. The role of PGMs in the viscosity and electrical conductivity of melts was examined using the rotating cylinder method and impedance spectroscopy, respectively. Moreover, XRD, XPS, and SEM were used to measure the phase compositions, valence states, and microstructures, respectively, of the glass samples with different PGMs contents. The results showed that the solubility of Pd and Rh in sodium borosilicate glass was estimated to be less than 110 ppm by weight. The higher concentrations of Pd and Rh resulted in Pd-rich and Rh-rich inclusions in the glass matrix, which eventually agglomerated to form metallic Pd, Rh and Rh2O3. The evolution of viscosity and electrical conductivity with different temperatures followed the Arrhenius equation with a fairly good linear relationship between ln η and ln κ.