Experimental study of the preparation of copper powder through molten salt electrolysis

Copper powder prepared through molten salt electrolysis in the NaCl-KCl-CuO system is discussedin the paper. The basic conditions for the reaction are the electrolysis temperature 740 to 820 ℃; tankcurrent 12 to 15 A; cathode current density of 110 to 140 mA/cm²; cell voltage 2.2 to 3.2 V; electrolysis timeof 1.5 to 3.5 h. X -ray diffraction (XRD) and copper powder particle size analysis, scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM) and spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the morphology and elemental content of the product areconducted on cathode electrolysis products. The result shows that the copper powder can be obtained underthe above conditions with the purity of the product above 98 % and an average particle size of 0.91 μm.