title: Cathodic processes of neodymium(iii) in LiF-NdF3-Nd2O3 melts.
abstract: In this paper, cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry are applied to characterize the cathode processes of neodymium ions on a W electrode in LiF-NdF3 melts with or without the metal Nd. The results indicate that neodymium ions in the LiF-NdF3 (2 wt%) melt are reduced in two steps, i.e. Nd(3+) → Nd(2+) and Nd(2+) → Nd(0), corresponding to starting reduction potentials of 0.35 V vs. Li(+)/Li and 0.1 V vs. Li(+)/Li, respectively. The Nd(3+) → Nd(2+) process is controlled by mass transfer and the Nd(2+) → Nd(0) process is controlled by both an interfacial step and mass transfer. But in the LiF-NdF3 melt with excess metal Nd equilibrium, the kinetics of the above two processes are controlled by mass transfer. After potentiostatic electrolysis at 0.35 V in the LiF-NdF3-Nd2O3 melt NdF2 is formed on the Mo cathode, and metallic Nd is obtained by potentiostatic electrolysis at 0.1 V in the LiF-NdF3-Nd2O3-Nd melt, which validates the above electrochemical reduction results.
authors.affiliation: East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China. bingli@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China. bingli@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China. bingli@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China. bingli@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shizhe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: East China University of Science and Technology, 130 Meilong Road, Shanghai, 200237, P. R. China. bingli@ecust.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Li