Fluorine gas is currently used in various industries including nuclear power, semiconductor, and pharmaceutical fields. Electrolytic production of F2 gas is industrially performed in the KF-2HF molten salt around 90 deg C [1-3]. The total reaction of this process is described as follows: 2HF -&gt; H2 + F2 where H2 and F2 are obtained at the cathode and anode, respectively. Recent demands in some academic and industrial fields require small-scale use of F2 gas, and a small-scale generator is necessary for such purposes. In this study, a new method to produce F2 gas by electrolysis of the Cs[(FH)2.45F] molten salt [4] containing metal fluorides at room temperature is proposed for the small-scale use. In this system, the cathodic reaction is reduction of metal fluoride to metal without generating H2 gas, which improves the safety of the electrolytic cell. The use of the Cs fluorohydrogenate system instead of the K system reduces the operation temperature, and F2 gas is able to be generated at the anode at room temperature. One of the possible cathode reactions is reduction of CuF2 to Cu metal. Current efficiency is estimated by gas volume generated during electrolysis.

Room temperature generation of F2 gas from Cs(FH)2.45F molten salt

255th National Meeting (2018)

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