Electrochemical stability and corrosion behavior of Ni-Cr alloy in molten LiCl-KCl salt

Asghari-Rad, Peyman; Smith, Nathan D.; Kim, Seung-Wook; Shi, Feifei; Kim, Hojong

doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2025.146507

Electrochemical stability and corrosion behavior of Ni-Cr alloy in molten LiCl-KCl salt

Journal Article · Sat May 17 20:00:00 EDT 2025 · Electrochimica Acta

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.electacta.2025.146507· OSTI ID:3012191

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The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)
The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States); Inha University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of)

This study investigated the electrochemical properties and potential-dependent stability of Cr(II) and Ni(II) in a eutectic LiCl-KCl molten salt at 500 °C under an argon atmosphere using a three-electrode cell configuration with a glassy carbon working electrode, Ag/Ag⁺ reference electrode, and graphite counter electrode. Cyclic voltammetry was employed to characterize the Cr(0)/Cr(II)/Cr(III) and Ni(0)/Ni(II) redox transitions, yielding diffusion coefficients of 0.50 (±0.01) × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹ for Cr(II) and 0.91 (±0.16) × 10⁻⁵ cm² s⁻¹ for Ni(II) at 500 °C. The redox stability domains of these species provided insight into the corrosion mechanisms of a Ni-Cr alloy (80–20 wt %) in LiCl-KCl salt. The measured open circuit potential of the alloy corresponded to the range of potentials where the Ni(0) and Cr(II) species are stable, indicating a preferential dissolution of Cr. Immersion testing of the alloy for 336 h confirmed significant Cr depletion (or Ni-enrichment) at the surface layer, corroborating Cr dealloying as the dominant corrosion reaction under open circuit conditions. Additionally, the application of a small anodic overpotential (0.11 V) resulted in selective Cr dissolution while a large anodic overpotential (0.25 V) resulted in co-dissolution of both Cr and Ni. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that the corrosion mechanisms of a Ni-Cr alloy in LiCl-KCl depend upon the applied potential, and thus the redox conditions of the molten salt should be carefully controlled in the design of a redox buffer to mitigate corrosion in molten salt environments.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: NE0009286

OSTI ID:: 3012191

Journal Information:: Electrochimica Acta, Journal Name: Electrochimica Acta Vol. 532; ISSN 0013-4686

Publisher:: Elsevier BVCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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