High Lithium Content Research Articles

Laser beam welding of T joints for aluminum–Copper–lithium aircraft panels: Effect of filler wire on recyclability and weldability

This study assessed the weldability and recyclability of four filler wires, two commercial (ER4047 and ER2319) and two experimental (ER2395 and J300), for laser beam welding of aluminum-Copper-lithium (Al–Cu–Li) aircraft panels. The results showed key differences in porosity and crack formation. The ER2319 filler exhibited a higher tendency for wormhole-type porosity compared to the others, which had similar pore area fractions. ER2395 displayed the longest crack length, likely due to its high lithium content. Chemical compatibility with the Al–Cu–Li base alloy AA2198 was confirmed for the ER2319, ER2395, and J300 filler wires, enabling 100% closed-loop recyclability without disassembly or alloy sorting. However, the high silicon content (around 11%) of ER4047 resulted in a recycled alloy that exceeded the allowable Si limit for AA2198, making it unsuitable for closed-loop recycling. Several end-of-life (EoL) strategies were explored for scrap fractions from ER4047-welded coupons. The 0C and 1C cutting strategies yielded hybrid fractions incompatible with AA2198 but suitable for the more Si-tolerant AA2196 alloy. The 3C strategy, involving weld seam separation before remelting, optimized recycling rates and minimized environmental impact. Additionally, a pre-scrap characterization method was developed to analyze weld seam composition, allowing for the prediction of recyclability issues and filler wire mass estimation in coupons where both the skin and stringer were made of the same alloy. This method provides a practical approach for evaluating welded structures in future recycling efforts.

The Relationship of the Change in Hydrogeochemical Features and Lithium Values of Kızılırmak Basin (Nevsehir-Central Anatolia) Water with Tectonic Fields

In this study, in particular, the relationship between high lithium values and geological environments was examined. To determine this, the geology, structural geology, hydrogeology, and hydrogeochemistry of the area in the north of the Gülşehir-Yeşilöz sub-basin of the Kızılırmak Basin were investigated. For hydrogeological studies, 19 water samples were collected in May and September. Tectonically, this area has a horst-graben structure. The relationships between the water analysis values of the study area and the tectonic areas were investigated. In particular, the lithium content of the waters in the study area was investigated. Hydrogeochemical properties and seasonal changes in water resources were studied in detail, and their relationship with tectonic areas was evaluated. Water analyses were carried out during wet and dry periods to determine temporal hydrogeochemical changes. According to the analysis, the waters in the area are of Ca-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3 facies. In addition, there are water samples with high lithium content in the study area. IDW and Kernel diagrams of these were prepared. It was found that these high values were influenced by the rocks formed in the ancient sea and saline lake environments. The region with the highest lithium value is in the formations that represent the former salt lake environment. High lithium (Li) values are generally higher in the region within the Kızılırmak graben. Lithium values in this area were determined as 241.3 µg/L, 154.5 µg/L, 155.2 µg/L, 156.8 µg/L, and 155.6 µg/L.

Distribution, enrichment characteristics and prospecting potential of lithium in Uzbekistan: Insights from 1:1 million geochemical mapping

With the world economy gradually shifting to alow‑carbon and greener model in recent years, there is a growing need for developing key metals like lithium in economic development. Economic growth has sped up the country's shift to a green economy along with Uzbekistan's reform and opening up, and the country's developing major mineral resources, such as lithium, have garnered a lot of attention. Owing to lithium resource protential of Uzbekistan is unclear, it is important to examine the possibility of lithium mineralization. The distribution and enrichment characteristics of lithium in the Uzbeksitan Tianshan are studied in this paper, based on geochemical mapping data at a 1:1000000 scale. It's concluded that stream sediments from the Tianshan region of Uzbekistan have higher concentration of lithium than the continental crust, and the South Tianshan has the highest lithium content. Lithium mineralization has been found in the lithium-geochemical anomaly areas in the eastern part of Uzbekistan South Tianshan through field investigation. Spodumene pegmatite, the first instance of pegmatitic type lithium mineralization in this region and even in the Tianshan orogenic belt of Central Asia. In conjunction with the geological background analysis, the metallogenic potential of lithium was assessed, resulting in the identification of four regions with lithium geochemical anomaly, and these sites will serve as target areas for Li deposits prospecting work in the future. This work has significant implications for the advancement of our understanding of the metallogenic theory of pegmatite-type Li deposits, as well as practical guiding significance for lithium ore prospecting in the Tianshan orogenic belt of Central Asia.

Evaluation of the lithium resource in the Smackover Formation brines of southern Arkansas using machine learning.

Global demand for lithium, the primary component of lithium-ion batteries, greatly exceeds known supplies, and this imbalance is expected to increase as the world transitions away from fossil fuel energy sources. High concentrations of lithium in brines have been observed in the Smackover Formation in southern Arkansas (>400 milligrams per liter). We used published and newly collected brine lithium concentration data to train a random forest machine-learning model using geologic, geochemical, and temperature explanatory variables and create a map of predicted lithium concentrations in Smackover Formation brines across southern Arkansas. Using these predicted lithium maps with reservoir parameters and geologic information, we calculated that there are 5.1 to 19 million tons of lithium in Smackover Formation brines in southern Arkansas, which represents 35 to 136% of the current US lithium resource estimate. Based on these calculations, in 2022, 5000 tons of dissolved lithium were brought to the surface within brines as waste streams of the oil, gas, and bromine industries.

Salar de Atacama Lithium and Potassium Productive Process

The average lithium content in the Earth’s crust is estimated at about 0.007%. Despite this, lithium is considered abundant and widely distributed, with significant extraction from various sources. Notably, the brines in the Salar de Atacama are highlighted for their high lithium concentration ~1800 mg/L. Lithium is currently recovered from these brines through a solar evaporation process. The brine is transferred through a series of ponds, increasing the lithium concentration from 0.2% to 6% over 18 months, while decanting other minerals like potassium, magnesium, and boron. This method is the most efficient and cost-effective globally due to the Salar de Atacama’s high lithium concentration of approximately 1800 ppm and the region’s intense solar radiation, which facilitates evaporation at no economic cost. This manuscript describes in detail the lithium and potassium extraction processes used in the Salar de Atacama.

A Super-Ionic Solid-State Block Copolymer Electrolyte.

Polymer solid-state electrolytes offer great promise for battery materials with high energy density, mechanical stability, and improved safety. However, their low ion conductivities have so far limited their potential applications. Here, it is shown for poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymers that the super-stoichiometric addition of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI) as lithium salt leads to the formation of a crystalline PEO block copolymer phase with exceptionally high ion conductivities and low activation energies. The addition of LiTFSI further induces block copolymer phase transitions into bi-continuous Fddd and gyroid network morphologies, providing continuous 3D conduction pathways. Both effects lead to solid-state block copolymer electrolyte membranes with ion conductivities of up to 1·10-1Scm-1 at 90°C, decreasing only moderately to 4·10-2Scm-1 at room temperature, and to >1·10-3Scm-1 at -20°C, corresponding to activation energies as low as 0.19eV. The co-crystallization of PEO and LiTFSI with ether and carbonate solvents is observed to play a key role to realize a super-ionic conduction mechanism. The discovery of PEO super-ionic conductivity at high lithium concentrations opens a new pathway for fabrication of solid polymer electrolyte membranes with sufficiently high ion conductivities over a broad temperature range with widespread applications in electrical devices.

Ex-ante life cycle evaluation of spent lithium-ion battery recovery: Modeling of complex environmental and economic impacts

The recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is essential for promoting the closed-loop sustainable development of the LIB industry. However, progress in LIB recycling technologies is slow. There are significant gaps between academic research and industrial application, which hinder the industrialization of new technologies and the improvement of existing ones. Here we show a universal model for spent LIB-lithium recycling (SliRec) to evaluate the applicability and upgrading potential across various recycling technologies. Instead of modeling the entire recycling process, we focus on partial processes to enable a comparative analysis of environmental and economic impacts. We find a strong correlation between lithium concentration (LC) and the advancement of recycling technologies, where higher LC is associated with a reduced carbon footprint and increased economic benefits. The implementation of high-level recycling technology can result in an 85.91% reduction in carbon footprint and a 5.97-fold increase in economic returns. Additionally, we explore the effects of technological interventions through scenario analysis, demonstrating that while low-level recycling technology faces more substantial challenges in upgrading, it holds greater potential for reducing carbon emissions (−2.38 kg CO2-eq mol−1) and enhancing economic benefits (CNY 11.04 mol−1). Our findings emphasize the significance of process modeling in evaluating the quality of spent LIB recycling technologies, and can provide comparative information for the application of emerging technologies or the upgrade of existing ones.

Enabling room temperature solid-state lithium batteries by blends of copolymers and ionic liquid electrolytes

High lithium-concentration phosphonium ionic liquids electrolytes have shown outstanding properties even overcoming ammonium derivatives in terms of viscosity and transport properties. Consequently, they have been also combined with fluorinated polymers, such as poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) or poly(ionic liquids), for solid-state batteries with satisfying performance at 50 °C. The aim of this work is to develop highly lithium conducting solid-state electrolyte (≥0.1 mS cm−1) at room temperature but maintaining solid-state properties. For this, polymer electrolytes based on ISOBAM alternating copolymer (isobutylene and maleic anhydride) and ionic liquid (P111i4FSI) were developed. The composition-dependent behavior of the solid electrolytes was studied in terms of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), reaching σLi+ of 0.52 mS cm−1; differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) under different ionic liquid electrolyte loadings and salt concentration. The polymer electrolytes presented a solid-like behavior in the range of 25 to 90 °C with a storage modulus of 2.3·104 Pa. Finally, the best free-standing membrane electrolytes were tested and compared electrochemically in lithium symmetrical cells and lithium iron phosphate full cells exhibiting an excellent cycling at room temperature.

Diagnostic accuracy of the anion gap to identify toxic lithium concentrations: a single-center retrospective observational study

Introduction Lithium exhibits a narrow margin between therapeutic doses and toxic blood concentrations, which can pose a substantial risk of toxic effects. Reportedly, lithium toxicity may be associated with a reduced anion gap; however, the precise relationship remains unclear. This study examined several different anion gap calculation methods to detect toxic lithium concentrations without directly measuring blood lithium concentrations. Methods Our retrospective study analyzed blood samples collected for lithium concentration measurements. The anion gap was determined using three different methods, both with and without albumin and lactate concentration corrections. Samples were categorized into two groups based on lithium concentration (<1.5 or ≥1.5 mmol/L), and anion gap values were compared. Correlation and logistic regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between each anion gap indicator and lithium concentration. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used for diagnostic analysis. Results Overall, 24 measurements were collected, with 41.7% of samples falling within the toxic range. The high-lithium concentration group exhibited significantly smaller anion gaps. Correlation and logistic regression analyses revealed a significant association between anion gap values and lithium concentrations. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were: conventional anion gap 0.77 (95% CI: 0.55–0.94); albumin-corrected anion gap 0.85 (95% CI: 0.66–1.00); and both albumin- and lactate-corrected anion gap 0.86 (95% CI: 0.66–1.00). Discussion The anion gap is calculated as the difference between measured cations and anions. Accumulation of lithium (a cation) may decrease measured cations and decrease the calculated anion gap. Abnormal albumin and lactate concentrations may also alter the anion gap and affect its usefulness as a diagnostic marker for elevated serum lithium concentrations. A negative likelihood ratio of 0.1 suggests that the anion gap might be valuable in excluding toxicity. Conclusions The corrected anion gap, accounting for albumin and lactate concentrations, may be beneficial in suggesting the possibility of toxic lithium concentrations.

Lithium capacity of Kazakhstan mineral resource base

Relevance. Weak knowledge of the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan on lithium raw materials previously mined in the East Kazakhstan region. Aim. To study lithium raw material base in the Republic of Kazakhstan and prospects for the extraction of lithium raw materials. Methods. Content analysis of all information on the subject of the mineral resource base of lithium in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Results. Within the Republic of Kazakhstan, ore deposits of scapolite pegmatites and lithium-bearing greisens-hydrothermal growths are known along alkaline granites. Residual lithium reserves from previously developed rare metal deposits that are equivalent to 36.3 thousand tons of Li2O, predicted resources of known lithium occurrences are estimated at 140 thousand tons of Li2O. It is possible to develop known rare metal deposits with the extraction of tantalum, niobium, beryllium and associated extraction of spodumene concentrate. GRK «Ognevsky Mining and Processing Plant» is already planning to put back to mining of tantalum and beryl (with the associated extraction of spodumene concentrate – up to 2.5 thousand tons/year) at the Bakennoe deposit and processing the resulting ore concentrates at the operating Ulba metallurgical plant of Kazatomprom. With regard to lithium-bearing hydro-mineral resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the situation is more complicated, due to the data limitations on the completeness of formation water testing and the reliability of data on surface waters of stagnant lakes. Such oil and gas fields as Karachaganak (up to 196 mg/l Li2O), Kolkuduk (up to 130 mg/l Li2O), Teplovskoe (up to 82.5 mg/l), Urikhtau (up to 52 mg/l) and Western Opak (up to 45 mg/l) are known for high concentration of lithium in formation waters. First two deposits are ready for oil and gas development and production with an annual extraction of up to 1 thousand tons of lithium carbonate. With regard to the lithium content of stagnant lakes of the Republic of Kazakhstan, it should be noted almost total lack of reliable information on sampling their surface waters. Given the fact of finding industrially significant lithium-bearing hydro-mineral lake deposits in adjacent regions of China and Mongolia, it is necessary to intensify the thematic works to assess the lithium content of endorheic lakes throughout the Republic of Kazakhstan, with sampling not only of surface waters, but also of natural brine, lake mud, saline clayey rocks of solonchaks and takyrs.

Unlocking the decomposition limitations of the Li2C2O4 for highly efficient cathode preliathiations

The development of high-energy-density Li-ion batteries is hindered by the irreversible capacity loss during the initial charge-discharge process. Therefore, pre-lithiation technology has emerged in the past few decades as a powerful method to supplement the undesired lithium loss, thereby maximizing the energy utilization of LIBs and extending their cycle life. Lithium oxalate (Li2C2O4), with a high lithium content and excellent air stability, has been considered one of the most promising materials for lithium compensation. However, the sluggish electrochemical decomposition kinetics of the material severely hinders its further commercial application. Here, we introduce a recrystallization strategy combined with atomic Ni catalysts to modulate the mass transport and decomposition reaction kinetics. The decomposition potential of Li2C2O4 is significantly decreased from ∼4.90V to ∼4.30V with a high compatibility with the current battery systems. In compared to the bare NCM//Li cell, the Ni/N-rGO and Li2C2O4 composite (Ni-LCO) modified cell releases an extra capacity of ∼11.7 ​%. Moreover, this ratio can be magnified in the NCM//SiOx full cell, resulting in a 30.4 ​% higher reversible capacity. Overall, this work brings the catalytic paradigm into the pre-lithiation technology, which opens another window for the development of high-energy-density battery systems.

Comprehensive study on the differences in microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–Li alloy fabricated by additive manufacturing, casting, and rolling

In order to explore the forming mechanism of direct energy deposition of magnesium-lithium alloy wire with high lithium content, this study introduces a novel approach utilizing Cold Metal Transfer Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (CMT-WAAM) to successfully fabricate thin-walled structures of LA103Z Mg–Li alloy. A comprehensive comparison was conducted to evaluate the microstructure and mechanical properties of different regions on CMT-WAAM samples, in addition to cast and rolled samples. The microstructure of CMT-WAAM samples is mainly composed of β-Li phase and fine needle shaped α-Mg phase, exhibiting a notable divergence from the microstructure observed in cast and rolled samples. It is noteworthy that the mechanical properties along the deposition direction exhibited significant variability in CMT-WAAM samples, but no significant anisotropy is discerned in the mechanical properties along the deposition and scanning directions. The discrepancies in mechanical properties across different regions are predominantly attributed to variations in grain size, and the size and proportion of the α-Mg phase and secondary phases, which are related to the low heat input and high cooling rate of the CMT-WAAM process. The mean tensile strength of CMT-WAAM samples is 159.5 MPa, marking a respective increase of 30.7% and 13.9% compared to cast and rolled samples. These findings underscore the outstanding strength of CMT-WAAM samples compared to conventionally formed samples. This study provides novel insights into additive manufacturing of dual-phase Mg–Li alloys for large-scale complex structures.

Cryolite as a Reference Mineral of Rare Metal Mineralization: An Experimental Study

Abstract Phase relations and the distributions of rare earth elements (REE), Sc, Y, and Li between aluminofluoride and aluminosilicate melts in the model granite system Si–Al–Na–K–Li–F–O–H were experimentally studied at 700°C, 1 and 2 kbar, and water contents of 3 to 50 wt %. Our original and available literature experimental data on phase relations in the granite system saturated with water and fluorine and containing trace elements are compared with the mineral assemblages of rare-metal cryolite-bearing granites from the Zashikhinsky, Katugin, and Ulug-Tanzek deposits in eastern Siberia. Liquid immiscibility between granite and salt aluminofluoride melts, which occurs at high contents of fluorine and lithium in the system, is proved to facilitate the accumulation of rare elements in salt cryolite-like melts. At a temperature of 700°C and pressures of 1 and 2 kbar, aluminofluoride melt in the granite system crystallizes and forms cryolite. Fluorine-bearing minerals of trace and rare earth elements, such as pyrochlore and gagarinite, occur at these deposits in association with cryolite and lithium micas. Comparison of experimental data and natural observations provides arguments in support of the hypothesis that liquid immiscibility should play an important role in the formation of cryolite. Cryolite is thought to be able to serve as a reference mineral for rare metal-rare earth mineralization in granites with high lithium and fluorine content.

In-Situ Lithium Analysis In MgLi Alloys Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy with a Compact Chamber.

This study explores the feasibility of in situ Lithium (Li) analysis in Magnesium-Lithium (MgLi) alloys using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). It focuses on two Li emission lines: Li I 670.8 nm (resonance) and Li I 610.4 nm (non-resonance). Comparing characteristics at atmospheric and low pressures, self-reversal signatures are observed in both emission lines at atmospheric pressure, complicating the analysis. Challenges in suppressing self-reversal effect using laser energy and detection window adjustments are noted. To address this, a compact chamber (80 mm×50 mm×50 mm) with adjustable pressure (using a portable vacuum pump) is developed. Lowering the pressure significantly reduces self-reversal effect, particularly for the Li I 610.4 nm line. This makes Li I 610.4 nm more suitable for analyzing high Lithium concentrations in MgLi alloys. Using standard samples, such as LA91 (8 % Li) and LA141 (14 % Li), the study successfully obtains Li I 610.4 nm spectra with proportional Li emission intensities. Even with a commercially affordable time-integrated charge-coupled device (CCD) detection system, the results indicate the efficacy of this approach for in situ Li analysis in MgLi alloys.

Lunar Lithium-7 Sensing (δ7Li): Spectral Patterns and Artificial Intelligence Techniques.

Lithium, a critical natural resource integral to modern technology, has influenced diverse industries since its discovery in the 1950s. Of particular interest is lithium-7, the most prevalent lithium isotope on Earth, playing a vital role in applications such as batteries, metal alloys, medicine, and nuclear research. However, its extraction presents significant environmental and logistical challenges. This article explores the potential for lithium exploration on the Moon, driven by its value as a resource and the prospect of cost reduction due to the Moon's lower gravity, which holds promise for future space exploration endeavors. Additionally, the presence of lithium in the solar wind and its implications for material transport across celestial bodies are subjects of intrigue. Drawing from a limited dataset collected during the Apollo missions (Apollo 12, 15, 16, and 17) and leveraging artificial intelligence techniques and sample expansion through bootstrapping, this study develops predictive models for lithium-7 concentration based on spectral patterns. The study areas encompass the Aitken crater, Hadley Rima, and the Taurus-Littrow Valley, where higher lithium concentrations are observed in basaltic lunar regions. This research bridges lunar geology and the formation of the solar system, providing valuable insights into celestial resources and enhancing our understanding of space. The data used in this study were obtained from the imaging sensors (infrared, visible, and ultraviolet) of the Clementine satellite, which significantly contributed to the success of our research. Furthermore, the study addresses various aspects related to statistical analysis, sample quality validation, resampling, and bootstrapping. Supervised machine learning model training and validation, as well as data import and export, were explored. The analysis of data generated by the Clementine probe in the near-infrared (NIR) and ultraviolet-visible (UVVIS) spectra revealed evidence of the presence of lithium-7 (Li-7) on the lunar surface. The distribution of Li-7 on the lunar surface is non-uniform, with varying concentrations in different regions of the Moon identified, supporting the initial hypothesis associating surface Li-7 concentration with exposure to solar wind. While a direct numerical relationship between lunar topography and Li-7 concentration has not been established due to morphological diversity and methodological limitations, preliminary results suggest significant economic and technological potential in lunar lithium exploration and extraction.

Tritium release performance of biphasic Li2TiO3–Li4SiO4 ceramic pebbles fabricated by centrifugal granulation method

At present, the biphasic Li2TiO3–Li4SiO4 ceramic pebbles with high lithium content and crushing load have been viewed as promising tritium breeders for maintaining the safety-state operation of the D-T fusion reactor. The tritium release behavior of Li2TiO3–Li4SiO4 ceramic pebbles fabricated by centrifugal granulation method was investigated by using the Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy apparatus at Shizuoka University. It can be found that the Li2TiO3–Li4SiO4 ceramic pebbles show three tritium release peaks, and most of the tritium was released as HTO observed from T-TDS spectra, and the peaks at 581 K and 734 K are mainly due to tritium release from Li2TiO3 in core and shell. The peak at 813 K is mainly deemed as tritium release derived from the Li4SiO4 shell. The content of tritium release from biphasic Li2TiO3–Li4SiO4 ceramic is up to 11.5 MBq g−1, but the amount of gas species (HT) is only 0.126 MBq g−1. Besides, the isothermal heating experiment showed that the tritium release behavior was subject to diffusion process and de-trapping in defect sites. At the same time, the irradiation defects of E′-center, O-related center, and Ti3+ for breeding material can be found by using an ESR device, and the isochronous heating experiments have manifested that the amount of irradiated defect decreases as heating temperature increases, which indicates that the tritium release behavior is closely related to defect annihilation process. Therefore, the advanced Li2TiO3–Li4SiO4 ceramic breeder can be fabricated based on tritium release result, which will be conducive to meet the practical application of breeder in the future.

Rare metal concentration features at a caldera type deposit in the Miocene-Quaternary boron-lithium province of North America. Search for analogues

The fact that lithium has a wide range of applications in many fields including the production of lithium-ion batteries determines an increased interest in lithium mining. The most common types of lithium raw material sources are underground brines, saline lakes (“salars”), and ore minerals. In 2021, the first and unique deposit of lithium clays was discovered in the McDermitt caldera (Nevada, USA). Its resources are estimated at 13.7 million tons of lithium carbonate with the lithium concentration of 2231 mg/l. The uniqueness of this deposit raises the interest in the formation of model ideas about lithiumclay genesis to search for analogous deposits and explore them. The purpose of the article is to provide an overview of the geological structure and describe the main development periods of the McDermitt caldera. The authors also characterize the potential sources of lithium (felsic igneous rocks and hydrothermal fluids), migration paths of lithium-bearing brines as well as the formation mechanism of clays with a high lithium content (hectorite, illite and smectite). A generalized formation model of this type of deposits is proposed. Particular attention is paid to the role of hydrothermal fluids as a potential additional source of lithium “supply” to the caldera basin. Key criteria characteristic of industrial accumulations of lithium of this type have been formed in order to explore and identify analogous deposits. In conclusion, the authors put forward a hypothesis about the presence of deposits that are analogous to the Thacker Pass in the McDermitt caldera in the lithium province on the Altiplano-Puna plateau in one of the calderas of the Altiplano-Puna volcanic complex, and in Eastern Kamchatka.

The effect of the combined addition of copper, lithium and sulphur on the formation of Portland cement clinker.

Both copper and lithium act as strong fluxes and lower the temperature of the clinker melt formation. Sulphur promotes the stabilisation of more hydraulically active modification of alite M1. It is expected that this combination could produce an alite clinker at significantly lower temperatures with high quality technological parameters. In this paper, the effect of combined oxides of copper, lithium and sulphur addition on the phase composition and clinker structure of Portland cement was investigated. The reference raw meal was prepared from common cement raw materials. Each of the mentioned oxides was added to the reference raw meal in two different concentrations, and 8 combinations were prepared. Chemically pure compounds (NH4)2SO4, CuO and Li2CO3 were used as a source of these oxides. The raw meals were burned to equilibrium at 1450°C. Their phase composition was determined by X-ray diffraction analysis, the microstructure was monitored by optical microscopy, and the microchemistry of the clinker phases was observed by electron microscopy with EDS analysis. It was found that in samples with high lithium or copper content, there is an increase in belite and free lime at the expense of alite. The combination of Cu + Li has the most negative effect, followed by Li alone and Cu alone. The higher SO3 content slightly offsets this negative effect.

Lithium Abundances from the LAMOST Medium-resolution Survey Data Release 9

Lithium is a fragile but crucial chemical element in the Universe, and exhibits interesting and complex behaviors. Thanks to the mass of spectroscopic data from the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) medium-resolution survey (MRS), we can investigate the lithium abundances in a large and diverse sample of stars, which could bring vital help in studying the origin and evolution of lithium. In this work, we use the Li i 6707.8 Å line to derive the lithium abundance through a template-matching method. A catalog of precise lithium abundance is presented for 795,384 spectra corresponding to 455,752 stars from the LAMOST MRS Data Release 9. Comparing our results with those of external high-resolution references, we find good consistency with a typical deviation of σ A(Li) ∼ 0.2 dex. We also analyze the internal errors using stars that have multiple LAMOST MRS observations, which will reach as low as 0.1 dex when the signal-to-noise ratio of the spectra is >20. Besides, our result indicates that a small fraction of giant stars still exhibit a surprisingly high lithium content, and 967 stars are identified as Li-rich giants with A(Li) > 1.5 dex, accounting for ∼2.6% of our samples. If one takes into account the fact that nearly all stars deplete lithium during the main sequence, then the fraction of Li-rich stars may far exceed 2.6%. This new catalog covers a wide range of stellar evolutionary stages from pre-main sequence to giants, and will provide help to the further study of the chemical evolution of lithium.

Enhanced Li+ and Mg2+ Diffusion at the Polymer–Ionic Liquid Interface within PVDF‐Based Ionogel Electrolytes for Batteries and Metal‐Ion Capacitors

AbstractWith the widespread use of batteries, their increased performance is of growing in importance. One avenue for this is the enhancement of ion diffusion, particularly for solid‐state electrolytes, for different ions such as lithium (Li+) and magnesium (Mg2+). Unraveling the origin of better cation diffusion in confined ionic liquids (ILs) in a polymer matrix (ionogels) is compared to that of the IL itself. Ionic conductivity measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for ionogels (7.0 mS cm−1 at 30 °C) is very close to the conductivity of the non‐confined IL (8.9 mS cm−1 at 30 °C), that is, 1‐ethyl‐3‐methyimidazolium bis(trifluorosulfonyl)imide (EMIM TFSI). An even better ionic conductivity is observed for confined EMIM TFSI with high concentrations (1 m) of lithium or magnesium salt added. The improved macroscopic transport properties can be explained by the higher self‐diffusion of each ion at the liquid‐to‐solid interface induced by the confinement in a poly‐vinylidenedifluoride (PVDF) polymer matrix. Upon confinement, the strong breaking down of ion aggregates enables a better diffusion, especially for TFSI anion and strongly polarizing cations (e.g., Li+, Mg2+.). The coordination number of these cations in the liquid phase confirmed that Li+ and Mg2+ interact with the polymer matrix. Moreover, it is a major result that the activation energy for diffusion is lowered.