About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Rare Metal Extraction & Processing
|
| Presentation Title |
Novel Three Compartment Electrolytic Cell Design and Electrolyte Series for Dendrite-free, High-purity, Zinc Electrodeposition |
| Author(s) |
Andrew Steiner, Justin G Connell, Eva Allen, Matthew Earlam, John N Hryn, Michael J Dziekan |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Andrew Steiner |
| Abstract Scope |
Zinc is designated as a critical mineral by the USGS, driven by limitations in domestic refining capacity and supply chain vulnerabilities. Primarily produced electrolytically through sulfate-based electrowinning, zinc production is bottlenecked by low operational current densities due to sluggish charge and mass transfer kinetics at the cathode. While shifting to a chloride-based process would enable superior current densities and throughput, its industrial adoption remains limited by the formation of toxic chlorine gas at the anode and formation of zinc dendrites and impure deposits when pushed to high current densities. In this work, we present a novel three-compartment electrolytic cell and an electrolyte series that address these limitations, promoting dendrite-free, high-purity zinc deposition while producing oxygen at the anode. Through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and phase contrast microtomography, we characterize the metal deposits produced across the electrolyte series. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Electrometallurgy, Hydrometallurgy, Extraction and Processing |