Dissolution of molybdenum-silicon (-boron) alloys using a mixture of sulfuric, nitric and hydrofluoric acids and a sequential correction method for ICP-AES analysis

Preparation of Spherical Mo5Si3 Powder by Inductively Coupled Thermal Plasma Treatment

A method was developed to fabricate spherical Mo5Si3 powder by milling and spheroidizing using inductively coupled thermal plasma. A Mo5Si3 alloy ingot was fabricated by vacuum arc melting, after which it was easily pulverized into powder by milling due to its brittle nature. The milled powders had an irregular shape, but after being spheroidized by the thermal plasma treatment, they had a spherical shape. Sphericity was increased with increasing plasma power. After plasma treatment, the percentage of the Mo3Si phase had increased due to Si evaporation. The possibility of Si evaporation was thermodynamically analyzed based on the vapor pressure of Mo and Si in the Mo5Si3 liquid mixture. By this process, spherical Mo silicide powders with high purity could be fabricated successfully.

New convenient dissolution of iron-rhodium alloys using hydrochloric acid containing a small amount of nitric acid without heating for an ICP-AES analysis

A new convenient dissolution method for Fe-Rh alloys has been developed. Aqua regia has been used for the dissolution of rhodium alloy samples. However, it is difficult to dissolve high-concentration rhodium (more than 50 mass%) in aqua regia, because a rhodium-passivity on the alloys surface occurs with nitric acid. By using hydrochloric acid containing a small volume of nitric acid, Fe-Rh (24-64 mass%) alloys could be completely decomposed and dissolved under mild experimental conditions. The principal advantages of this method are simplicity and time-saving compared with other dissolution methods.