Open AccessA furnace and environmental cell for the in situ investigation of molten salt electrolysis using high‐energy X‐ray diffraction
Author(s) -
Styles Mark J.,
Rowles Matthew R.,
Madsen Ian C.,
McGregor Katherine,
Urban Andrew J.,
Snook Graeme A.,
Scarlett Nicola V. Y.,
Riley Daniel P.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s0909049511039124
Subject(s) - molten salt , electrowinning , electrolysis , anode , synchrotron , electrolyte , materials science , electrolytic cell , in situ , characterization (materials science) , chemical engineering , diffraction , metallurgy , chemistry , nanotechnology , electrode , optics , physics , organic chemistry , engineering
This paper describes the design, construction and implementation of a relatively large controlled‐atmosphere cell and furnace arrangement. The purpose of this equipment is to facilitate the in situ characterization of materials used in molten salt electrowinning cells, using high‐energy X‐ray scattering techniques such as synchrotron‐based energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction. The applicability of this equipment is demonstrated by quantitative measurements of the phase composition of a model inert anode material, which were taken during an in situ study of an operational Fray–Farthing–Chen Cambridge electrowinning cell, featuring molten CaCl 2 as the electrolyte. The feasibility of adapting the cell design to investigate materials in other high‐temperature environments is also discussed.