The Effect of Copper, Acid, and Temperature on the Diffusion Coefficient of Cupric Ions in Simulated Electrorefining Electrolytes

Editor(s)

Petersen, Jochen

Abstract

Deposition and dissolution processes involved in copper electrorefining are significantly affected by the diffusion coefficient of copper within an electrolyte. It is believed that the diffusion coefficient of cupric ions under conditions similar to those encountered in commercial electrolytes is not precisely known. The effects of copper, acid, and temperature on copper diffusivity were measured for simulated industrial electrolytes. Copper and acid concentrations tested were 35-70 and 160-250 g L−1, respectively. Temperature was varied from 40°C to 65°C. Increasing the copper and acid concentrations slightly decreased the diffusivity of copper. The diffusion coefficient of cupric ions increased with increasing temperature according to the Arrhenius relationship. An activation energy of 19.2 kJ mol−1 was calculated from the data. The diffusivity data was utilized in a simple one-dimensional finite difference model. The model indicates that saturation of copper sulfate occurs very rapidly at the high current densities (3820 A m−2) used in accelerated passivation experiments.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Copper; Temperature; Diffusion Coefficient of Cupric Ions; Simulated Electrorefining Electrolytes

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0304-386X

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2000 Elsevier, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jul 2000

Link to Full Text

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