5 – Ionic Transport in Molten Salts

TLDR: In this article, the mechanism of the electrolytic conductivity in molten salts was investigated in terms of the self-exchange velocity, which has a strong correlation with the internal mobility in (Li, K)Cl.

Abstract: This chapter focuses on elucidation of the mechanism of the electrolytic conductivity in molten salts. The mobility isotherms of binary systems with a common anion supply much information, as suggested by the Chemla effect. Molecular dynamics simulation has also played an important role in this field. Among the binary systems studied so far, (Li, K)Br is the standard system in the mobilities, where with an increasing molar volume, the mobilities decrease at a given temperature. The binary systems mainly discussed are (Li, K)Br, (Li, K)Cl, (Na, K)OH, (Ca, Ba)1/2Cl, (Y, La)1/3Cl, (Y, Dy)1/3Cl, (K, Ca1/2), and (K, Dy1/3)Cl. The electroconducting process occurs more rarely than the diffusion process. This is revealed in terms of the self-exchange velocity, which has a strong correlation with the internal mobility in (Li, K)Cl. Thus, the electrotransport species and the existing species assumed by diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and so on must be generally different. Most of the mobility isotherms studied so far could be interpreted in terms of the dynamic dissociation model.