Optimization of pulse bi-directional electrolysis in-situ synthesis of tungsten carbide by response surface methodology

The response surface methodology was used to optimize the parameters of pulse bi-directional electrolysis (PBE) in-situ synthesis of tungsten carbide (WC) in NaF-KF molten salt system. The process of PBE synthesis of WC is a short process method of in-situ synthesis of WC powders in molten salt electrolyte. WC were used both as cathode and anode. A symmetrical bi-directional pulse is applied between the two electrodes. Tungsten ions dissolved by forward pulse, and WC were produced in situ with carbon near the electrode during reverse pulse. During the research, it was found that the factors affecting the phase of the experimental product were Current intensity, Pulse period and Electrolysis duration. In this paper, the cathode and anodic dissolved mass and the Proportion of WC in the product were used as the response values. The Box-Behnken center combined test and response surface analysis are used to optimize the factors that affect significantly, and the optimal process parameters were determined. Finally, the model was experimentally verified. Under the optimized experimental conditions, high-performance tungsten carbide nanopowders were prepared with short-process and high-efficiency.