A Novel Design of High-Temperature Molten Salts Structure Analysis System

Background

Analyzing the structure and thermal behavior of molten salts at elevated temperatures using advanced X-ray beam techniques presents significant challenges. These materials are intrinsically difficult to study due to their high reactivity with air, corrosivity towards most common materials, and relatively high melting points. Existing approaches often struggle to reliably contain these reactive and corrosive substances while maintaining the necessary high-temperature conditions for accurate analysis. Furthermore, traditional methods often necessitate bulky high-temperature furnaces, which can be inconvenient for seamless integration with advanced X-ray beamline facilities.

Technology

Researchers at Stony Brook and MIT developed a device designed for X-ray analysis of molten salt structure and thermal behavior at high temperatures consisting of an NMR quartz tube and a rod. The novel design offers X-ray transparency, high thermal conductivity for heating, stability, and accommodates the graphite rod’s thermal expansion, thereby preventing tube breakage. This design enables continuous data collection by addressing challenges such as molten salt reactivity, corrosivity, and high melting points, and can be heated using a heat gun.