Electrochemical studies on lanthanum ions in molten LiCl-KCl-eutectic mixture

Abstract

We have investigated the electrochemical behaviour of lanthanum ions in a eutectic molten mixture of LiCl and KCl, using linear sweep voltammetry, as well as semi-integration and semi-differentiation of cyclic voltammograms. It was found that the reduction of La3+ is quasi-reversible, and that the obtained diffusion coefficient of La3+ is consistent with that estimated from thermodynamic data. The electrochemical reduction, diffusion of La3+ in LiCl-KCl, and the structure and stability of the complex ion are discussed.