Solubility of Lanthanum in Liquid Alloys with Gallium and Indium

Abstract

The solubility of lanthanum in indium and Ga–In alloys containing 21.8, 40 and 70 wt. % In was determined experimentally at temperatures up to 1081 K. The low temperature limit depended on the melting point of the alloy. The solubility was measured using isothermal saturation and high-temperature filtration methods. The phase composition of solid intermetallic compounds formed in the ternary La–Ga–In systems of various compositions was determined by X-ray diffraction. Activity coefficients of lanthanum in the alloys based on gallium, indium and three Ga–In mixtures (21.8, 40 and 70 wt. % In) were calculated. Temperature dependencies of thermodynamically possible separation factors for the uranium/lanthanum couple in “LiCl–KCl–CsCl melt–liquid alloy” systems were derived for various gallium–indium alloys.