Molten salts have many uses in the energy sector including molten salt reactor coolants and fuel recycling. The behavior of analytes within these systems, however, is not well understood. Of particular interest are the actinides, fission products, and corrosion products. The extreme temperatures and corrosive nature of the salts makes the study of these analytes difficult. The ability to study redox behavior <i>in-situ</i> is needed to maintain safe operation and control corrosion rates. A key element of electrochemical characterization of molten salts is in the choice of reference electrode because most commercially available reference electrodes are not well suited for molten salts. Here we show the assembly and characterization of several micro-reference electrodes designed for use in molten salts. Each electrode was characterized in molten salts and were tested for long-term stability as well as the accurate measurement of analytes such as europium. Here we discuss our recent work on this project.

Electrochemical study in molten salts: Assembly and characterization of micro-reference electrodes

2019 Fall National Meeting

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