Electrochemistry of oxygen-free curium compounds in fused NaCl–2CsCl eutectic

• Published in: Journal of nuclear materials Vol. 396; no. 1; pp. 102 - 106
• Main Authors: Osipenko, A., Maershin, A., Smolenski, V., Novoselova, A., Kormilitsyn, M., Bychkov, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 2010
• Subjects: Curium chloride; Diffusion coefficient; Molten chlorides; Thermodynamics; Transient electrochemical techniques; Thermodynamics; Molten chlorides; Diffusion coefficient; Transient electrochemical techniques; Curium chloride
• ISSN: 0022-3115; 1873-4820
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2009.10.061

This work presents the electrochemical study of Cm(III) in fused NaCl–2CsCl eutectic in the temperature range 823–1023 K. Transient electrochemical techniques such as cyclic, differential pulse and square wave voltammetry, and chronopotentiometry have been used in order to investigate the reduction mechanism of curium ions up to the metal. The results obtained show that the reduction reaction takes place in a single step Cm(III) + 3 e ¯ ⇒ Cm(0) . The diffusion coefficient of [ CmCl 6 ] 3 - complex ions was determined by cyclic voltammetry at different temperatures by applying the Berzins–Delahay equation. The validity of the Arrhenius law was also verified and the activation energy for diffusion was found to be 44.46 kJ/mol. The apparent standard electrode potential of the redox couple Cm(III) / Cm(0) was found by chronopotentiometry at several temperatures. The thermodynamic properties of curium trichloride have also been calculated.