A novel purification method for fluoride or chloride molten salts based on the redox of hydrogen on a nickel electrode

Abstract

A novel purification process was proposed for molten salts based on the polarization of a hydrogen electrode on nickel, i.e., H⁺/H₂, Ni electrode. The features of the H⁺/H₂, Ni electrode in typical chloride and fluoride molten salts were investigated. Consistent current electrolysis was performed in a feasible polarization range, and the deoxidation efficiency was higher than that of the traditional chemical or electrochemical purification methods in both chloride and fluoride molten salts. Only H₂ was used as a purification source gas, and almost no toxic HF or corrosive HCl emissions were used or occurred in the new process. The application range of the proposed method was also discussed.