Electrochemical behavior of Nd (III) on tungsten electrode in NaF-KF molten salt

The rare earth element neodymium accounts for such a large proportion in NdFeB magnets that it is of great significance to recycle rare earth from NdFeB waste. In order to further understand the behavior of neodymium in fluoride molten salt at high temperature, NaF-KF(molar ratio 2:3) electrolyte system was used at 1 063 K, and 1% NdF₃ was added, with Pt used as reference electrode and tungsten rod as counter electrode. The electrochemical process of Nd (III) on inert tungsten electrode was studied by cyclic voltammetry and other electrochemical transient tests to explore its reduction. It was found that the electrochemical reduction of Nd (III) on inert tungsten electrode in NaCl-KCl-NdF₃ molten salt was an irreversible one-step reaction controlled by diffusion: Nd (III)+3e^- =Nd, the diffusion coefficient of Nd(III) was 2.107×10^-5 cm²/s by cyclic voltammetry and the nucleation mechanism of neodymium was instantaneous nucleation at 1063 K.