Electrochemical extraction of cerium and formation of Al–Ce alloy from CeO_2 assisted by AlCl_3 in LiCl–KCl melts

This work presents an electrochemical extraction of cerium and synthesization of Al–Ce alloy in LiCl–KCl melts on Mo and Al electrodes by chlorination of CeO2 using AlCl3 at 873 K. The cyclic voltammogram on Mo electrodes in LiCl–KCl–CeO2 melt showed no obvious reduction wave other than the reduction of Li(I). After the addition of AlCl3, the signals of the reaction of Ce(ⅡI)/Ce(0) and the synthesization of Al–Ce and Al–Li alloys were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, square-wave voltammetry, open-circuit chronopotentiometry and chronopotentiometry. These results indicated that AlCl3 can chloridize CeO2 and that it is possible to extract cerium and form Al–Ce and Al–Li–Ce alloys in LiCl–KCl–CeO2–AlCl3 melts. According to potentiostatic electrolysis, only the Al4 Ce layer coated the Al electrodes. According to galvanostatic electrolysis, Al–Ce(Al4Ce, Al3 Ce, and Al92Ce8), Al2Li3, and Al phases were formed on Mo electrodes, and the content of cerium in the Al–Li–Ce alloys was more than 17 wt%.