Electrolytic iron is a form of high purity iron, obtained by

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from na ...

. It has a high purity greater than 99.95% with trace elements accounting for only a millionth of a decimal.

Overview

To obtain the best qualities that iron has to offer like high

ductility Ductility is a mechanical property commonly described as a material's amenability to drawing (e.g. into wire). In materials science, ductility is defined by the degree to which a material can sustain plastic deformation under tensile stres ...

, more

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...

resistance, and better magnetic characteristics; a chemical process must occur to remove impurities. The most effective process is through

that takes commercial grade iron and minimizes the C, S, Mn, and other trace element levels to become one of the highest grades of iron on the market known as electrolytic iron. Once the iron is in its purest state, it can be then used as a component in alloys. Alloys with high purity elemental makeups have specifically enhanced properties such as

, tensile strength, toughness, fatigue strength, heat resistance, and

resistance, on which each element draws from their best inherent properties and collectively contributes to the alloy as a whole.

Production method of electrolytic iron

Smelting is typically classified into two procedures: the wet process and the dry process. Electrolytic iron is considered the “wet process” since

requires electric charges to move through a liquid solution. This action causes a chemical reaction called electrolytic refining. The result of electrolytic refining is electrolytic iron. An

anode An anode is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the device. A common mnemonic ...

(raw material) and a

cathode A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. A conventional current describes the direction in whi ...

(base plate) are immersed into an electrolyte including iron ions and other components. Moreover,

current Currents, Current or The Current may refer to: Science and technology * Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas ** Air current, a flow of air ** Ocean current, a current in the ocean *** Rip current, a kind of water current ** Current (stre ...

flows between the

and the

. As a result, iron is deposited on the surface of the

due to a difference in an

ionization Ionization, or Ionisation is the process by which an atom or a molecule acquires a negative or positive charge by gaining or losing electrons, often in conjunction with other chemical changes. The resulting electrically charged atom or molecule ...

tendency, and high purity iron can be obtained. TOHO ZINC CO.,LTD. is producing and selling electrolytic iron refined by the wet process on an industrial scale. TOHO ZINC CO.,LTD. accounts for the top market share of high purity iron in wet type process. The purity of the iron sold is from 99.9% to 99.999%, especially including the gas components of O, N, C, and H.

Other method

High purity iron is also produced in dry process. VOD (vacuum oxygen decarburization), and ESR (electro-slag remelting) are known as dry process. VOD is a process of melting pure iron in a vacuum and degassing. ESR (electro-slag remelting) method is a process of dripping the molten metal refining pure iron as an

electrode An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials de ...

. Moreover, an

ion exchange Ion exchange is a reversible interchange of one kind of ion present in an insoluble solid with another of like charge present in a solution surrounding the solid with the reaction being used especially for softening or making water demineralised, ...

method is known as wet type process in addition to electrolytic refining.

Application

Electrolytic iron is utilized by the aerospace sector in areas where components are safety critical. Landing gear,

engine shaft For mine construction, an engine shaft is a mine shaft used for the purpose of pumping, irrespective of the prime mover. See also *Outline of mining The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to mining: Mining &nd ...

s in

jet aircraft A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by jet engines. Whereas the engines in propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower speeds and altitudes, jet ...

, and gas turbines of generators, are areas that require the use of electrolytic iron. It is also used in research and development, special alloys ( maraging steel, Ni-base alloys, Ti alloys), sputtering targets, chemicals ( etching liquids), etc. In addition, it is used as a raw material for Japanese

swords A sword is a cutting and/or thrusting weapon. Sword, Swords, or The Sword may also refer to: Places * Swords, Dublin, a large suburban town in the Irish capital * Swords, Georgia, a community in the United States * Sword Beach, code name for t ...

produced using traditional Japanese techniques.

References

{{Reflist Iron Electrolysis