Abstract
Metal oxide precursors (ca. 90 wt pct Ti, 6 wt pct Al, and 4 wt pct V) were prepared with a hollow structure in various shapes such as a sphere, miniature golf club head, and cup using a one-step solid slip-casting process. The precursors were then electro-deoxidized in molten calcium chloride [3.2 V, 1173 K (900 °C)] against a graphite anode. After 24 hours of electrolysis, the near-net-shape Ti-6Al-4V product maintained its original shape with controlled shrinkage. Oxygen contents in the Ti-6Al-4V components were typically below 2000 ppm. The maximum compressive stress and modulus of electrolytic products obtained in this work were approximately 243 MPa and 14 GPa, respectively, matching with the requirement for medical implants. Further research directions are discussed for mechanical improvement of the products via densification during or after electrolysis. This simple, fast, and energy-efficient near-net-shape manufacturing method could allow titanium alloy components with desired geometries to be prepared directly from a mixture of metal oxides, promising an innovative technology for the low-cost production of titanium alloy components.
Highlights
TITANIUM metal and its alloys exhibit high specific strength, light weight, outstanding biocompatibility, and excellent corrosion resistance.[1,2] due to the inherent costliness, they are seriously restricted to critical and demanding niche applications,[3] such as the aeroplanes,[4] medical implants,[5] and performanceimproving sports equipment.[6]
The high cost of titanium and its alloys arises from two factors: the energy- and labor-intensive extraction of titanium metal via the Kroll Process[7] (6 to $/kg depending on demand) and the complex and expensive downstream processes for alloying and manufacturing of the final components (10 to times of the sponge value).[8]
The oxide precursor was placed between two molybdenum (Mo) meshes and contained inside a titanium (Ti) basket holder (0.5 mm thickness) which had several drilled holes to facilitate molten salt movement during electrolysis
Summary
TITANIUM metal and its alloys exhibit high specific strength, light weight, outstanding biocompatibility, and excellent corrosion resistance.[1,2] due to the inherent costliness, they are seriously restricted to critical and demanding niche applications,[3] such as the aeroplanes,[4] medical implants,[5] and performanceimproving sports equipment.[6]. The FFC-Cambridge Process[11] has been successfully demonstrated to directly produce titanium metal and its alloys[12] by the electrochemical reduction of a cathodic oxide precursor in a molten salt electrolyte. During this process, the ionized oxygen atoms are transferred via the molten salt from the cathode to the anode where they discharge as CO/CO2 or O2 for graphite or inert anode materials, respectively. A modified solid slip-casting process is described here for the fabrication of hollow metal oxide precursors of Ti-6Al-4V in a single step
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