Electrodeposition of As-Sb alloy from high arsenic-containing solutions

As-Sb alloy was electrodeposited from high arsenic-containing solutions. The influences of current density, Sb3+ concentration, reaction temperature and HCl concentration on the electrolyte composition, cell voltage and current efficiency were investigated. The surface morphology, composition and structure of the deposits were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The results show that the prepared As-Sb alloy shows an amorphous structure under all conditions. Under the optimized condition, i.e., 10 g/L As3+, 2 g/L Sb3+, 4 mol/L HCl, current density of 4 mA/cm2 and temperature of 20 °C, desired As-Sb alloy with a composition of 70.26% As and 29.74% Sb (mass fraction) is obtained. What is more, the current efficiency is as high as 94.74% and high arsenic removal rate is achieved under this condition.