About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Materials and Chemistry for Molten Salt Systems
|
| Presentation Title |
Molten Salt Electrodeposition with Galvanic Replacement (MSEGR) for Intra-Rare Earth Selective Enrichment in Molten Chloride Salts |
| Author(s) |
Changkyu Kim, Qiufeng Yang, Daniel Molina Montes de Oca |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Changkyu Kim |
| Abstract Scope |
Selective enrichment of neighboring rare-earth elements (REEs) is challenging in REE refining due to their nearly identical chemical properties. In this study, an electrochemical strategy is introduced to enable selective accumulation of rare earth elements directly in molten chloride salt environments through pulsed electrodeposition with galvanic replacement. Using lanthanum-praseodymium (La-Pr) mixed system as a model in LiCl-KCl eutectic, distinct selective enrichment was observed under sequences of pulsed cathodic deposition with varied open-circuit periods. Despite the small redox potential difference between La and Pr, gradual progression of galvanic replacement during repeated sequences enabled selective enrichment of Pr over La. Enrichment behavior was found to be sensitive to sequence parameters, such as cathodic polarization period and open-circuit relaxation periods, suggesting this can be tuned through electrochemical sequencing. These findings establish a new type of molten-salt electrochemical route for selective enrichment of rare earth elements through spontaneous galvanic replacement. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |