High-Voltage Phenomena in Molten Aluminum Chloride Electrolytes

Resumo

The electrical conductivity of molten aluminum chlorides NaAlCl₄ and KAlCl₄ increases with the electric field and reaches the maximum values (Wien effect) exceeding their usual low-voltage conductivity by 200 and 700%, respectively. These results are obtained on the basis of analysis of microsecond high-voltage discharges in the melts. When high-voltage pulse discharges are completed in the melts, their conductivity increases by 50% and their decomposition potential turns out to decrease by more than 20% (memory effect). The relaxation time of a nonequilibrium state reaches 5 min or more.