The properties of non‐oxide materials are continuously revealed, and their applications in the fields of ceramics, energy, and catalysis are increasingly extensive. Regardless of the traditional binary materials or the MAX phases, the preparation methods, which are environmentally friendly, efficient, economical, and easy to scale‐up, have always been the focus of attention. Molten salt synthesis has demonstrated unparalleled advantages in achieving non‐oxide materials. In addition, with the development of the process in molten salt synthesis, it also shows great potential in scale‐up production. In this review, the recent progress of molten salt synthesis in the preparation of binary non‐oxide and MAX phase is reviewed, as well as some novel processes. The reaction mechanisms and the influence of synthetic conditions for certain materials are discussed in detail. The paper is finalized with the discussion of the application prospect and future research trends of molten salt synthesis in non‐oxide materials.

The application field of zirconium involves chemical, metallurgical, biological and nuclear industries due to its excellent properties. However, the uneconomical production process of zirconium at this stage has led to its high price. With the increasing demand for zirconium, the call for price reduction is becoming stronger. A review on zirconium preparation processes is provided in this paper with emphasis on electrolysis process, which has the potential to replace the traditional Kroll process. Electrolysis process can be classified into three types according to different zirconium sources: Molten salt electrolysis process, electrodeoxidation process and zirconium production from oxycarbide anode. The principle, flow, current achievements and barriers to industrial application of various electrolysis processes are discussed. The review is finalized with the suggestions for future research directions.

Indium is a strategically scarce metal with excellent conductivity and light transmittance that is widely used to prepare ITO targets. In this work, an electrolysis method was exploited to recover and reuse spent ITO (s-ITO) targets to provide a novel way to recycle valuable resources. The electrochemical behaviors of indium tin oxide were studied first by cyclic voltammetry in CaCl ₂ at 850 °C. A reduction peak corresponding to the simultaneous reduction of indium tin oxide was found at −0.5 V vs Pt. Then, indium-tin alloy was recovered by electrolysis of s-ITO particles in CaCl ₂ at −2.8 V and 850 °C. The mass ratio of In and Sn in the alloy obtained by electrolysis is almost the same as that in the initial s-ITO before electrolysis. In addition, oxide composite powders were obtained by electrolysis of the alloy in NH ₄ Cl aqueous solution, which can be used to synthesize ITO targets. The particle size of the composite powders was between 20 nm and 60 nm, and the distribution of each element was uniform.

In the process of molten salt electrolysis, the influence of the composition of the electrolyte on the current efficiency and electrolysis quality is a key issue that needs to be studied urgently. Thus, the interaction between tantalum ions and anions, coordination competition between chlorine ions and fluoride ions in the electrochemical metallurgy of tantalum metal are investigated in this paper. Their effects on the reduction mechanism of tantalum ions was also studied. Moreover, the chemical coordination mechanism of tantalum ions in the above molten salts were revealed through electrochemical tests and chemical analysis. By adding fluoride ions, the reduction step of tantalum ions is reduced from two-step to one-step, which simplifies the reduction process, avoids the current empty consumption caused by the disproportionation reaction of low-valent tantalum ions, and optimizes the particle size of the product.