Molten Salts Chemistry

Fused salts are widely used in many industrial processes needing to free the limitation arising from the use of aqueous solutions. Thus, in connection with their exceptional properties, these media offer a vast panel of uses: their wide potential window between decomposition limits allows the electrowinning of highly electropositive elements or the preparation of very electronegative elements such as fluorine. Their thermal stability and generally low vapor pressure are well adapted to high temperature chemistry, enabling fast reaction rates. Their ability to dissolve many inorganic compounds such as oxides, nitrides, carbides and other salts makes ideal solvents useful in electrometallurgy, metal coating, treatment of by-products and energy conversion.

Theory of Simple Liquids examines how the electrical and thermal properties of molten salts, and generally low vapour pressure, are well adapted to high temperature chemistry, enabling fast reaction rates. It also explains how their ability to dissolve many inorganic compounds such as oxides, nitrides, carbides and other salts make molten salts ideal as solvents in electrometallurgy, metal coating, treatment of by-products and energy conversion.

This book also reviews newer applications of molten salts including materials for energy storage such as carbon nano-particles for efficient super capacitors, high capacity molten salt batteries and for heat transport and storage in solar plants. In addition, owing to their high thermal stability, they are considered as ideal candidates for the development of safer nuclear reactors and for the treatment of nuclear waste, especially to separate actinides from lanthanides by electrorefining.