In situ high temperature NMR and EXAFS experiments in rare-earth fluoride molten salts

The local structure in molten YF3-LiF and LaF3-LiF binaries has been investigated by NMR and EXAFS spectroscopy. For YF3-LiF, the high-temperature F-19 and Li-7 NMR spectra have been recorded in situ in the molten state for compositions ranging from pure LiF to pure YF3. The LaF3-LiF system has been studied by F-19 and La-139 NMR and EXAFS spectroscopy at the LIII edge of La. The local environment around the La3+ in the molten state does not depend on the composition, while F-19 chemical shift evolution confirms the progressive formation of bridged species. (C) 2004 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.