High-Voltage Phenomena in Molten Aluminum Chloride Electrolytes

Abstract

The electrical conductivity of molten aluminum chlorides NaAlCl4 and KAlCl4 increases with the electric field and reaches the maximum values (Wien effect) exceeding their usual low-voltage conductivity by 200 and 700%, respectively. These results are obtained on the basis of analysis of microsecond high-voltage discharges in the melts. When high-voltage pulse discharges are completed in the melts, their conductivity increases by 50% and their decomposition potential turns out to decrease by more than 20% (memory effect). The relaxation time of a nonequilibrium state reaches 5 min or more.