Studies on reactions between aluminium/aluminium alloy and molten sodium

In this research, reactions between pure aluminium/its alloy and molten sodium at 350∼450°C have been investigated. Optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were used to observe and analyze the morphology, the distribution and the growth kinetic mechanism of corrosion products. Experiments showed that corrosion severity of specimens from molten sodium was related to the content of silicon in aluminium, and that corrosion of aluminium–silicon alloys in molten sodium was a diffusion-controlled solid-state reaction.