10/06/2025
By Amanda Vozzo
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025
Time: 4 – 5 p.m.
Location: Olsen 503
Boris Khaykovich, Research Scientist, Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) will give a talk on “Microscopic structure of molten salts by neutron scattering.”
Abstract: Molten Salt Nuclear Reactors (MSRs) are often referred to as “chemists’ reactors” due to the dynamic chemical environment within their salt mixtures. As MSRs operate, nuclear reactions and corrosion continuously generate new chemical species in the molten salts. Understanding how these multi-component solutions evolve— chemically and physically—is critical to advancing MSR technology.
For instance, changes in salt composition alter the speciation and charge states of constituent ions, which in turn affect the salt’s physical properties and reactor performance. To investigate these phenomena, we study the microscopic structure of molten salts containing fission and corrosion products (such as Te, Zr, Cs, and Cr) using insitu neutron scattering and X-ray spectroscopy. Our experimental findings are complemented by high-fidelity ab initio and machine learning-based molecular dynamics simulations, forming a robust framework for predicting salt behavior under reactor-relevant conditions. We show that even a small quantity of impurities (2 mol % level) lead to significant changes in ions’ charge state and the phase diagram of the mixture.
This research is part of a broader set of successful experiments conducted at neutron scattering user facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. I am a member of the inaugural class of neutron ambassadors of the Neutron Scattering Directorate at Oak Ridge National Lab. As such, I am facilitating access to neutron scattering facilities by face-to-face interactions with interested colleagues.
Bio: Boris Khaykovich is a Research Scientist at the MIT Nuclear Reactor Lab. He received his MSc in Chemical Physics and Ph.D. in Condensed-Matter Physics from Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, followed by postdoctoral work at MIT. His research focuses on the microscopic structure of materials for nuclear energy, such as molten salts and graphite. In addition, he has been developing neutron scattering methods and instrumentation, most notably neutron focusing mirrors for a neutron microscope.