Aluminum wettable materials

Claim 2

In an electrolytic cell for electrowinning molten aluminum from aluminum oxide dissolved in cryolite, where mechanical components of the cell are required to be wetted by aluminum in functioning within the cell, a method for utilizing such components where fabricated from a material normally nonwettable by molten aluminum comprising applying to surfaces of the component to be rendered wettable a quite thin coating of a wetting agent and a solubility suppressor prior to or while the substrate is immersed in molten aluminum contained in the cell, and maintaining the molten aluminum near saturation with the wetting agent and the solubility suppressor by introduction of the wetting agent and the solubility suppressor components into the molten aluminum.

Claim 3

In the method of claim 1, the coating being between about 5 angstroms and about 100 microns in thickness.

Claim 4

In the method of claim 2, the coating being continuous.

Claim 5

In the method of claim 1, the wetting agent being titanium and the solubility suppressor boron.

Claim 6

In an electrolytic cell for electrowinning molten aluminum from aluminum oxide dissolved in molten cryolite, where mechanical components of the cell are required to be wetted by molten aluminum and where it is desired that these components be fabricated from a material substantially nonwettable by aluminum, a method for rendering components fabricated from such materials wettable comprising the steps of: (1) selecting a component having a nonwettable fabrication material selected from a group consisting of alumina, aluminum nitride, A10N, SiAlON, boron nitride, silicon nitride, silicon carbides, aluminum borides, alkali earth, metal zirconates, and aluminates, and their mixtures; (2) applying to surfaces of the fabricated component a coating of titanium and boron, of between about 5 angstroms and 100 microns in thickness; and (3) while the coated component is immersed in molten aluminum contained in the cell, maintaining the molten aluminum to be near saturation with titanium and boron by introduction of titanium and boron into the molten aluminum.

Claim 7

In an electrolytic cell for electrowinning molten aluminum from aluminum oxide dissolved in molten cryolite, where mechanical components of the cell are required to be wetted by molten aluminum and where it is desired that these components be fabricated from a material substantially nonwettable by aluminum, a method for rendering components fabricated from such materials wettable comprising the steps of: (1) selecting a component having a nonwettable fabrication material selected from a group consisting of alumina, aluminum nitride, A10N, SiAlON, boron nitride, silicon nitride, silicon carbides, aluminum borides, alkali earth, metal zirconates, and aluminates, and their mixtures; (2) applying to surfaces of the fabricated component a coating of titanium and boron, of between about 5 angstroms and 100 microns in thickness; and (3) while the coated component is immersed in molten aluminum contained in the cell, maintaining the molten aluminum to be near saturation with titanium and boron by introduction of titanium and boron into the molten aluminum.

Claim 8

In the method of claim 5, the coating being continuous.

Claim 9

In the method of claim 5, the substrate being alumina.

Claim 10

A molten aluminum wettable electrolytic cell component for use in an aluminum electrowinning cell, immersed in molten aluminum including a component aluminum wetting agent and a wetting agent aluminum solubility suppressor near saturation of the molten aluminum, the cell component comprising: (1) a substrate of a material substantially nonwetted by molten aluminum; and (2) a quite thin coating of the wetting agent and the solubility suppressor applied over surfaces of the substrate it is desired to be wetted with aluminum.

Claim 11

A molten aluminum wettable electrolytic cell component for use in an aluminum electrowinning cell, immersed in molten aluminum including a component aluminum wetting agent and a wetting agent aluminum solubility suppressor near saturation of the molten aluminum, the cell component comprising: (1) a substrate of a material substantially nonwetted by molten aluminum; and (2) a quite thin coating of the wetting agent and the solubility suppressor applied over surfaces of the substrate it is desired to be wetted with aluminum.

Claim 12

The component of claim 8 wherein the coating is between about 5 angstroms and 100 microns in thickness.

Claim 13

The component of claim 9 wherein the coating is continuous.

Claim 14

A molten aluminum wettable electrolytic cell component for use in an aluminum electrowinning cell, immersed in molten aluminum contained within the cell that includes titanium and boron near saturation of the molten aluminum, the cell component comprising: (1) a component substrate of a material substantially nonwettable by molten aluminum and selected from a group consisting of alumina, aluminum nitride, A10N, SiAlON, boron nitride, silicon carbides, silicon nitride, aluminum borides, . alkali earth, metal zirconates and aluminates, and their mixtures; and (2) a coating upon surfaces to be wet by molten aluminum of titanium and boron, the coating being between 5 angstroms and 100 microns in thickness.

Claim 15

A molten aluminum wettable electrolytic cell component for use in an aluminum electrowinning cell, immersed in molten aluminum contained within the cell that includes titanium and boron near saturation of the molten aluminum, the cell component comprising: (1) a component substrate of a material substantially nonwettable by molten aluminum and selected from a group consisting of alumina, aluminum nitride, A10N, SiAlON, boron nitride, silicon carbides, silicon nitride, aluminum borides, . alkali earth, metal zirconates and aluminates, and their mixtures; and (2) a coating upon surfaces to be wet by molten aluminum of titanium and boron, the coating being between 5 angstroms and 100 microns in thickness.

Claim 16

The component of claim 11 wherein the coating is continuous.

Claim 17

The component of claim 11, the substrate material being alumina.

Claim 18

The component of claim 11, the coating being TiB 2 ·