Abstract
Molten salt electrochemistry has historically played a substantial role in the metallurgical industry, and this trend is only accelerating in areas of green steel, direct ore processing, and rare-earth processing. In addition, the recent surge of interest in molten salt nuclear reactors has provided an additional application for molten salt electrochemical processes, including the reprocessing of used nuclear fuels and the development of electrochemical sensors for nuclear applications. In this work, the development of a chloride volatility separation process for used nuclear fuel is advanced; electroanalytical methods are improved for identifying and quantifying unknown analytes with and without the presence of interfering ions; and new molten salt thin-layer electrodes are prototyped and demonstrated in solutions containing UCl3 and PuCl3. In addition, several smaller studies that advance the development of molten salt technologies are shared, including investigations into the proper preparation of W electrodes and Al2O3 crucibles, and testing of a rapid method for taking XRD data on molten samples.
Degree
PhD
College and Department
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering; Chemical Engineering
Rights
https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Williams, Tyler, "Electrochemical Sensors and Processes in Molten Salts: Chlorine Production, Electroanalytical Chemistry, and Thin-Layer Electrodes" (2026). Theses and Dissertations. 11155.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/11155
Date Submitted
2026-03-25
Document Type
Dissertation
Permanent Link
https://arks.lib.byu.edu/ark:/34234/q2bdbee633
Keywords
molten salt, nuclear, electrochemistry, thin-layer electrochemistry, thin-cell electrochemistry, semi-differentiation, convolution, chloride volatility separations, XRD
Language
english