Title: Cyclic voltammetric studies for the electrochemical determination of palladium in high-level nuclear waste

Authors: T.K. Bhardwaj

Addresses: Department of Nuclear Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA

Abstract: Cyclic voltammetric studies of Pd(II)/Pd(0) electrode process were carried out on a Glassy Carbon Electrode (GCE) in HCl for the development of an Anodic Stripping Voltammetric (ASV) method for the determination of palladium in High-Level Nuclear Waste (HLNW). Pd(II) reduces electrochemically to Pd(0) in a wide potential range, depending upon the concentration of HCl. No significant effect of concentration was observed on the oxidation of palladium, which more or less occurs at 500 mV. Effects of HCl concentration, potential scan range, scan rate and scan repetition were studied in detail. The oxidation of palladium in HCl medium was relatively more distinct than in nitric and sulphuric acids. Maximum anodic and cathodic peak currents of unequal heights were observed at 1.0 × 10⁻² M concentration of HCl. An ASV method was developed successfully on the basis of these studies for the determination of palladium in HLNW.

Keywords: cyclic voltammetry; anodic stripping voltammetry; palladium; HLNW; high-level nuclear waste; nuclear energy; nuclear power.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2012.048806

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2012 Vol.7 No.2, pp.121 - 130

Received: 14 Feb 2012
Accepted: 07 May 2012
Published online: 05 Dec 2014 *

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