Process of reduction of TiO2 using electrodeoxidation

The method of electro-deoxidation was used to reduce solid TiO2 to titanium in CaCl2 melt at 900 degrees C.The sintered TiO2 samples acted as the cathode, while graphite as the anode. It was found that the sintering temperature of the oxide cathode and the duration of electrolysis affected forming of the products. The results show that the electrochemical activation of the cathode can be enhanced after sintering at 600 degrees C for 4 h. The rate of electro-deoxidation for TiO2 varied during electrolysis. The electrochemical deoxidation of TiO2 in the molten salt was conducted step by step from outside of cathode to its inside and from high valence oxide to low valence oxide until to metal. The efficiency of electro-deoxidation is 15%. The speed of electrode reaction is affected by the sizes of pore and grain of cathode.