ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

This is a page describing data taken during an experiment at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source. Information about the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source can be found at https://www.isis.stfc.ac.uk.


A Neutron Diffraction Study of Molten LiCl-KCl-LaCl3

Abstract: The LiCl-KCl salt system has generated significant industrial interest the use in next generation molten salt reactors, and for the processing of certain spent nuclear fuels. Experimental and theoretical structures of both LiCl and KCl have been reported since as early as the 1950s, however the structure of the eutectic composition (40.5 LiCl : 59.5 KCl (mol%)) remains theoretical. The low melting point (353 C) of the eutectic composition allows for the dissolution of additional cations, such as those resulting from fission or corrosion reactions, including lanthanides, at industrially achievable temperatures. In the proposed work we aim to determine the structure of the compositional end-members, LiCl and KCl, and to explore the structure of the industrially attractive eutectic composition, or LKE. LaCl3 will be incorporated into LKE and the influence of the molten structure observed as its concentration is increased, with pure molten LaCl3 also be characterised. Lithium-7 LiCl will be utilised to ensure high quality data is obtained, overcoming the issue of high neutron absorption from Lithium-6. Experimental data will be used in conjunction with machine learning molecular dynamics models to determine structure factors of these systems.

Principal Investigator: Dr Alex Scrimshire
Experimenter: Mr Luke Cooper
Local Contact: Dr Alex Hannon
Experimenter: Mr Luke Cooper
Experimenter: Ms Miu Onaru
Experimenter: Professor Paul Bingham

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510598

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2510598

Part DOI Instrument Public release date Download Link
10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510598-1 GEM 12 October 2028 Download

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
Select the data format above to find out more about it.

Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Alex Scrimshire et al; (2025): A Neutron Diffraction Study of Molten LiCl-KCl-LaCl3, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510598

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.



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