Development of Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids for Applications in Actinide Chemistry

One area of on-going research in our group at Los Alamos National Laboratory is directed toward characterization of the basic coordination chemistry and electrochemical behavior of f-element ions dissolved in room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs). The ultimate goal of this work is to introduce advanced, environmentally sustainable, nuclear processing and purification strategies into both the DOE complex and the civilian nuclear industry. Efforts to develop ambient temperature electrorefining and/or electrowinning technologies are focused on the design of ionic liquids characterized by extended cathodic stability. In this chapter a summary of the synthesis, physical properties and electrochemical behavior of the ionic liquids used in this work is presented. The feasibility of efficient electrochemical production of highly electropositive metals is demonstrated through reversible plating and stripping of sodium and potassium metals.