Functionality of hydrophobic groups of surfactants in the flotation of anode active materials

In the present paper, the effect of surface activity and the role of hydrophobic groups of four different frothers (2-octanol, terpenic oil, methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC), and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS)) on the collector-less floatability of anode-active materials were studied. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and zeta potential analyses were applied to detect functional groups and particle surface charge, respectively. The floatability of the material was examined using an XFG flotation cell in the absence and presence of these frothers. The experimental results showed that the functional groups on the surface of anode active materials (AAM) including CH3, C-O-O, and aromatic rings reacted with a frother and increased the recovery of the particles by 15%. Also, the presence of phenolic resin on the particle surface caused the functional groups on the surface of the particles to interact with frother molecules and improved the recovery of the particles by acting as a collector. Furthermore, the zeta potential of the particles after the addition of surfactant (at pH 7) showed a negative shift because of the particle hydrophobicity and agglomeration of particles. In addition, the results of contact angle and FTIR analyses showed that materials had a greater contact angle after using various surfactants and successful interaction occurred between the AAM surface and the hydrocarbon tail of the surfactants. The flotation results demonstrated that the recovery of AAM without any surfactants was zero but it was increased as the following order of 2-octanol >> terpenic oil > SDBS > MIBC.