Preparation of Mg–Nd Alloys by Magnesiothermic Reduction in Molten Salt.

A new approach that was designed to prepare Mg–Nd binary alloys via molten-salt-mediated magnesiothermic reduction by using Nd₂O₃ and Mg metal as raw materials was presented. The overall approach was based on a chemical pathway that synergistically integrated a series of simple steps to produce Mg–Nd alloys that could meet the requirement of Nd content in commercial Nd-containing magnesium alloys. The key steps included preparation of NdCl₃-containing molten salt, the reduction of NdCl₃ by Mg in molten salt, and the removal of MgCl₂ from molten salt. The results showed that this approach could indeed prepare Mg–(6 to 18) weight percent Nd binary alloys, and the remaining molten salt could be recycled after being treated with NdF₃. When other parameters were fixed, the Nd content in alloy could be adjusted only by adjusting the concentration of NdCl₃ and MgCl₂ in molten salt. Besides, a decrease in temperature or an increase in the mass ratio of molten salt to Mg could further increase the Nd content in alloy when other conditions were fixed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]