The achievements we have made in the field of physical chemistry of metallurgy will be critical for the group research in forthcoming years. Future work in the group will primarily focus on Ti refining, electro-transformation of CO2, and novel cathode materials and electrolytes for Al-ion batteries. Significant efforts will also be devoted to developing practical and industrial high-purity titanium and energy storage devices.
Research projects are active in the following areas:
The Jiao laboratory has popularized the preparation of titanium metal using TiCxOy solid solution anode by molten salt electrolysis, advanced the semi-industrial experiment, optimized the high-purity titanium technology by electrolytic refining process, designed the pictographic electrodes and the structure of cathode and anode with matching current density, and realized the electrochemical preparation of 4N high-purity titanium.
The Jiao group has developed the series of oxide and ceramal inert anodes suitable for electrolytic process in molten salts, which are applied to the metal preparation by the electrochemical deoxidation, oxygen preparation in special environment, electrochemical transformation of CO2 in molten salts.
With the oxide melt as electrolyte, the oxidation resistance alloy as inert anode, ferric oxide, titanium oxide and other metal oxide as raw active materials, the liquid iron, titanium and its alloy are obtained by electrolysis in the molten oxide electrolyte systems, meanwhile the oxygen gas is generated by the discharge of oxygen ion in anode interface.
CO2 capture is performed in different molten salts. And the electrochemical conversion of CO2 into high value added carbon material such as ultrathin graphite sheets, graphene and carbon nanotubes, has been produced. Moreover, the process and mechanism of the electrochemical deoxidation of amorphous carbon are studied in molten salt system, and the electrochemical graphitization process of amorphous carbon is explored in lower temperature.
The technologies of aluminum-ion batteries based on graphitic carbon cathode materials are researched in detail. The room-temperature ionic liquid, high-temperature molten salt and solid electrolyte are developed, and the large-capacity and high-stability cathode materials for aluminum-ion batteries are carried out.