Student stops metals from becoming too stressed

PhD student Daniel Kittelty has been working out the perfect conditions to stop metals from becoming too stressed.

Now nearing the end of his PhD based at the AJ Parker CRC on the Murdoch campus, Mr Kittelty has cracked an issue that has bugged mining operations for years how to get create smooth nickel-plating.

When metals like nickel are separated out of ore, the particles can be drawn out of solution by collecting them on an electrode in a process called electrowinning, said Mr Kittelty.

Sometimes if the metal reaches a certain thickness it can become stressed and literally cracks under the pressure.

Working under the supervision of Professor Mike Nicol, Mr Kittelty has developed ways to reduce the strain on the metal during the depositing process by identifying the ideal conditions such as pH, temperature and the addition of specific reagents for a less-stressed metal.

This work has direct applications for any nickel electrowinning plant, said Mr Kittelty.

Dr Yadran Marinovich, a post doc research fellow also working with Professor Nicol at the AJ Parker CRC, has just started to work on the similar problem of plating cobalt without cracking.