In this study, new insights into the solid state chemistry and melting behaviour of the Image 1001 system are presented, building on results in the simulant system Image 1002. Our studies have revealed the solubility of U in the high-temperature β[jls-end-space/]-phase of BaCl₂ (i.e Image 1003 ) and an intermediate compound, Ba₃U₂Cl₁₂, which has led us to revisit or present for the first time the phase diagrams of this system accordingly. Furthermore, we present revised thermodynamic models for the systems Image 1004, Image 1005, Image 1006 and Image 1007 (AE = Sr, Ba) based on existing literature data. With the constructed multi-component database Image 1008, the effect of fission products on the melting behaviour of molten chloride salts containing uranium and thorium is investigated through higher order phase equilibria calculations.

The structural, thermodynamic, and magnetic properties of Na₂CrCl₄ have been investigated to provide fundamental insights into this ternary halide relevant to chloride-based molten salt reactor systems. Room-temperature powder X-ray and neutron diffraction confirm a monoclinic (P2₁/c) structure and phase purity. Neutron diffraction measurements at 4.6 K reveal additional magnetic reflections indexed with (Formula presented), indicating the onset of long-range antiferromagnetic order. Low-temperature heat capacity measurements in the range 2–300 K show a pronounced λ-type anomaly at T_N = 8.5 ± 0.5 K, with an associated magnetic entropy S_mag = 11.9 ± 0.4 J K^–1 mol ^–1 consistent with antiferromagnetic ordering of high-spin Cr²⁺ (S = 2), a second-order phase transition. The standard molar entropy at 298.15 K, S_m^°(298.15 K) = 256.8 ± 7.7 J K^–1 mol ^–1, is slightly lower than previous CALPHAD assessments of the NaCl-CrCl₂ system. Magnetic susceptibility measurements also confirm antiferromagnetic behavior, with a Curie–Weiss fit giving μ_eff = 5.57 ± 0.05 μ_B and θ_CW = −15.0 ± 1.0 K. Compared to the related ferromagnetic chlorides K₂CrCl₄, Rb₂CrCl₄, and Cs₂CrCl₄, Na₂CrCl₄ exhibits a distinctly lower ordering temperature and antiferromagnetic structure, likely due to variations in lattice geometry and exchange interactions. These results provide the first experimental thermodynamic parameters for Na₂CrCl₄, contributing to refining phase diagrams and corrosion models in chloride salt systems.

The structural, thermochemical, and thermophysical properties of the AnCl₄, and NaCl-AnCl₄ (An = Th, U) melts were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the Polarisable Ion Model (PIM). New force fields were proposed and used to compute key properties including density, thermal expansion, enthalpy of mixing, heat capacity, as well as the local structure and chemical speciation in the molten (Na, An)Cl_x (An = Th, U) salts. Thermodynamic models were then developed based on the CALPHAD method, using both PIM-MD and experimental data as input. Employing the modified quasichemical formalism in the quadruplet approximation for the liquid solution, the models account for the chemical speciation in the melt as calculated by MD simulations, and reproduce well phase equilibria in those systems. In particular, the models included monomeric and dimeric species to represent the physical nature of the ionic melt, which shows progressive oligomerisation with increasing AnCl₄ fraction. Our studies confirm that the melt becomes highly volatile at high AnCl₄ fractions, which is discussed in light of the results obtained herein.