ABSTRACT: Electrochemical reduction of uranium oxide to uranium metal was studied in a LiCl-Li2O molten salt system. By means of a cyclic voltammetry and a chronopotentiometry, the electrolytic reduction of uranium oxide has been studied to establish the reduction mechanisms and the effects of the thickness of the uranium oxide on the overpotential of the cathode and anode were investigated. From the voltamograms, the reduction potentials of the uranium oxide and Li2O were obtained and the two mechanisms of the electrolytic reduction were considered with regards to the applied cathode potential. In the chronopotentiograms, the exchange current, the transfer coefficient
and the maximum allowable current based on the Tafel behavior were obtained according to the thickness of the uranium oxide which is loaded into the porous MgO membrane.
KEYWORDS: uranium oxide, molten salt, potential, current density, electrolytic reduction
