Growth of Fluoride Laser Crystals with Electrochemical Monitoring and Control of Composition and Purity. Phase 1

摘要

The performance of a tunable solid state laser is dependent upon the purity of the host crystal and the dopant materials. The Phase I program examines the feasibility of electroanalytical methods to detect oxidic species and transition metal redox processes in a host fluoride flux and to determine the ability of constant potential electrolysis for salt purification. The results of these studies have shown that oxide ions can be detected electrochemically at concentrations below approximately 0.01 molal in the host laser flux. Low concentrations of oxide species can be detected easily because of the presence of surface processes in the electrochemical oxidation pathway whereas higher concentrations will employ the diffusion controlled processes. Oxidation states of transition metal ions, typified by nickel, can be controlled by potential electrolysis and detected and measured by dynamic electroanalytical methods such as cyclic voltammetry and chronopotentiometry.