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A direct synthesis route for high-purity, anhydrous binary salt mixtures has been developed. This atom efficient, solvent-free process is easily scalable, with the potential to produce salt mixture...

A direct synthesis route for high purity anhydrous binary and ternary salt mixtures has been developed. This atom efficient, solvent free process is easily scalable with potential to produce salt eutectics with purity standards required to meet the needs of industrial heat transfer and nuclear applications. The methodology involves mechanochemical mixing of alkali and alkaline earth chloride salts followed by subsequent drying under dry air laminar flow. Each salt mixture was then analyzed for waters of hydration, purity, and oxide content through subsequent thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and strong acid titration. This process is proposed to provide a cost effective, single pot synthesis for both fuel and coolant chloride salt compositions for use in generation IV molten salt reactor systems. This work was supported as part of the Molten Salts in Extreme Environments Energy Frontier Research Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science.