TiO2 nanoparticles prepared by hydrochloric acid leaching of mechanically activated and carbothermic reduced ilmenite
(1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China;
2. ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, Institute for Technology Research and Innovation,
Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3217, Australia)
2. ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, Institute for Technology Research and Innovation,
Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria 3217, Australia)
Abstract: A new combination method consisting of ball milling, carbothermic reduction and hydrochloric acid leaching was proposed for the preparation of nanosized synthetic rutile from natural ilmenite. The ball milling was employed to grind ilmenite into small particles. The carbothermic reduction was carried out to yield a high titanium slag, which would be easily purified by subsequent leaching procedure. Factors affecting the hydrochloric acid process, namely the leaching time, temperature, and acid concentration, were studied. After leaching and calcining the milled and annealed mixture of FeTiO3/C under the optimal conditions, the TiO2 nanoparticles with size of 10−200 nm and purity>98.0% were obtained.
Key words: TiO2; ilmenite; ball milling; carbothermic reduction; leaching; nanoparticles