| Abstract Scope |
To recycle used nuclear fuels, the oxide fuels from commercial power plants are electrochemically reduced to metallic form in molten LiCl-Li2O electrolyte. To decarbonize electrolytic reduction of oxide fuels and achieve reliable process operation, this work investigated three precious group metals of platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), and ruthenium (Ru) as an oxygen-evolving anode material. Electrochemical behavior of each anode was studied using cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry in molten LiCl-Li2O (99-1 wt%) at 650°C, followed by constant-potential electrolysis for 10 h. The Pt anode exhibited the least stable performance with measurable dimensional change after 10 h electrolysis, possibly due to the formation of passivating oxide compound (e.g., Li2PtO3), as reported in the literature. In contrast, both Ir and Ru demonstrated stable performance with little dimensional change after 10 h electrolysis. This presentation will discuss the stability of each oxygen-evolving anode based on its electrochemical behavior and post-mortem characterization. |