6–10 Jul 2026
University of the Western Cape
Africa/Johannesburg timezone
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Temperature-Dependent Transport and Heat Capacity Behaviour of TiCl3 Medium

7 Jul 2026, 17:20
1h 20m
Great Hall (University of the Western Cape)

Great Hall

University of the Western Cape

Poster Presentation Track A - Physics of Condensed Matter and Materials Poster Session 1

Speaker

Ms Andile Mazibuko (University of Limpopo)

Description

Understanding the thermodynamic stability of TiCl3 polymorphs is only one component of improving titanium reduction processes. Transport behaviour and thermal response under reactor-relevant conditions must also be understood. In this study, classical molecular dynamics simulations were employed to evaluate the temperature-dependent heat capacity and ionic mobility of the R-3 and P3112 polymorphs at 50 – 2000 K. It was observed that both polymorphs exhibit linear heat capacity behaviour indicating that the thermal response is largely governed by lattice vibrational contributions with no pronounced structural phase transitions. Despite this, a pronounced increase in ionic diffusivity is observed at high temperatures, indicating the onset of thermally activated transport mechanisms within the lattice. The R-3 polymorph displayed enhanced thermal stability at lower temperatures, while the P3112 structure exhibits comparatively higher ionic mobility at high temperatures, suggesting structure-dependent diffusion pathways. These findings highlight how crystallographic differences influence transport behaviour in TiCl3 and may contribute toward predictive, data-driven optimisation of industrial titanium production processes.

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Author

Ms Andile Mazibuko (University of Limpopo)

Co-author

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