RAMAN SPECTRAL STUDIES OF ELEMENTAL SULFUR IN CHLOROALUMINATE MELTS

This research was sponsored by the Division of Materials Science, Department of Energy, under contract with Union Carbide Corporation, and by the National Science Foundation.""Author Institution: Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Department of Chemistry, University of TennesseeThe chemistry and electrochemistry of sulfur and its compounds in chloroaluminate melts are of considerable interest because sulfur compounds are promising cathode materials in a rechargeable molten salt battery. Elemental sulfur is quite soluble in acidic ($AlCl_{3}/MCl$ molar ratio $> 1$) chloroaluminate melts. The nature of dissolved sulfur in these melts is presently unknown. Potentiometric results have been interpreted to show that the potential-determining form is $S_{2}$. Raman spectral studies of these melts are presented which indicate the predominant form of dissolved sulfur in these media is $S_{8}$