Effect of TiB2 content on resistance to sodium penetration of TiB2/C cathode composites for aluminium electrolysis

TiB2/C cathode composites with various contents of TiB2 were prepared and their characterizations were observed and compared. The expansion of samples due to sodium and bath penetration was tested with a modified laboratory Rapoport apparatus and the appearances of the cut sections of specimens after electrolysis were studied. The results show that the mass of TiB2/C cathode composites with mass fraction of TiB2 less than 70% appreciably increases, but that of the composites with mass fraction of TiB2 more than 70% decreases slightly after being baked. The resistance to sodium and bath penetration of TiB2/C cathode composites increases with the increase of TiB2 content, especially in the composites with high TiB2 content. TiB2/C cathode composites have high resistance to the penetration of sodium and bath as well as good wettability by molten aluminum, and keep integrality and have little change of appearance after electrolysis, which indicates that TiB2/C cathode composites can be used as inert wettable cathode for aluminum electrolysis.