Electrochemical extraction of Sm(III) on active Ni electrode fabricated Sm–Ni alloys

Abstract

The reductive extraction of Sm(III) from LiCl–KCl–SmCl3 molten salts were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry and open-circuit chronopotentiometry techniques. Here, Sm–Ni alloys are prepared by molten salt electrolysis in LiCl–KCl–SmCl3 molten salt system on active Ni electrode. The physicochemical characteristics of the Sm–Ni alloys were determined by X-ray power diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy-selected area electron diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrochemical extraction can attain about 88.5–78.5%. The results show that this method can be used to recover lanthanides from residual fission products in salts.