Removal and occurrence state transformation of Ti impurity in Gd metal

The interaction mechanism of B and Ti in liquid Gd metal was theoretically analyzed, and the occurrence state transformation and removal of Ti impurity were experimentally analyzed in this study. The research results indicated that the B additive reacted with the Ti impurity in liquid Gd metal to form the high-melting-point TiB 2 at 1673 K. Owing to the low density of TiB 2 that is far lower than that of Gd, TiB 2 floated up to the liquid surface, and then, the Ti impurity could be effectively removed from Gd metal. Prolonging melting time and increasing B additive amount could increase Ti removal rate, but the increase in the rate slows beyond a certain duration and B content. The recommended operating parameter, melting time of 60 min and B additive content of 0.1394 wt% could reduce Ti content from 0.1534 wt% to 0.0433 wt%, and the removal rate was 71.9%. Graphic abstract