Preparation of Crystallized Y2(CO3)3 via Ultrasonically Coupled Y-Shaped Microchannels: Advancing Rare Earth Resource Utilization
摘要
As a critical precursor for yttrium oxide (Y2O3) preparation, the morphological regularity, particle size uniformity, and pore structure of yttrium carbonate (Y2(CO3)3) directly govern the grain configuration, sintering density, and grain growth behavior of the resultant Y2O3, ultimately determining its performance ceiling in high-end applications, including phosphors. To overcome precursor agglomeration and polydispersity, synergistic microchannel-ultrasonication technology was engineered, in which acoustic cavitation enhances multiphase mixing, while microfluidic confinement regulates nucleation kinetics. The critical parameters influencing the preparation of Y2(CO3)3 via microchannel-coupled ultrasonic processing were systematically investigated. Through parametric optimization, enhanced carbonate morphology control was achieved at 60-W ultrasound, 10 mL/min flow rate, 1:1.575 molar ratio, 40°C, and pH 4 without aging. A better-controlled quasi-spherical aggregate morphology composed of intergrown acicular-lamellar subunits was obtained that precisely meets the precursor specifications required for high-performance Y2O3 ceramics.