Interaction of Molten Salts with Graphite

Abstract

The evaluation of the corrosion behavior of graphite in molten salts is an emerging important issue. It is because the molten salt corrosion of graphite can either be technologically undesirable, for instance in molten salt nuclear reactors, or highly desirable, for example, in the molten salt preparation of carbon nanostructures. This chapter provides an overview of the chemical corrosion of graphite in molten salts and particularly in molten lithium chloride. For this, thermokinetic characteristics of graphite and LiCl are reviewed individually and in combination. The morphological and structural changes occurred upon the exposure of graphite to molten lithium chloride are also discussed.