LiCl Concentration Research Articles

Investigation of Microscopic Structure and Ion Dynamics in Liquid Li(Na, K)EutecticCl Systems by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Molten chloride salts are the main components in liquid metal batteries, high-temperature heat storage materials, heat transfer mediums, and metal electrolytes. In this paper, interest is centered on the influence of the LiCl component and temperature on the local structure and transport properties of the molten LiCl-NaCl-KCl system over the temperature range of 900 K to 1200 K. The liquid structure and properties have been studied across the full composition range by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of a sufficient length to collect reliable values, such as the partial radial distribution function, angular distribution functions, coordination numbers distribution, density, self-diffusion coefficient, ionic conductivity, and shear viscosity. Densities obtained from simulations were underestimated by an average 5.7% of the experimental values. Shear viscosities and ionic conductivity were in good agreement with the experimental data. The association of all ion pairs (except for Li-Li and Cl-Cl) was weakened by an increasing LiCl concentration. Ion clusters were formed in liquids with increasing temperatures. The self-diffusion coefficients and ionic conductivity showed positive dependences on both LiCl concentration and temperature, however, the shear viscosity was the opposite. By analyzing the hydrodynamic radii of each ion and the coordination stability of cation-anion pairs, it was speculated that ion clusters could be the cation-anion coordinated structure and affected the macro properties.

Ultrasound velocities and elastic properties of LICL doped zinc –borate glasses

Sound velocities and elastic property measurements have been employed to study the strength and rigidity of the structure of ZnO-B2O3 glasses doped with LiCl. Moduli of elasticity such as longitudinal, Young`s , bulk and shear modulus have been calculated using ultra sound velocities such as longitudinal and transverse velocities are measured at a frequency of 10 MHz as function of LiCl concentration. Both sound velocities and elastic moduli decrease with increase of LiCl concentration. The results are discussed in the view of borate network and dual structural role played by the divalent zinc ions present in the network. The results indicate that the Zn+2 ions are likely to occupy network forming positions in this glass system. While LiCl is a typically dissolved in the borate network and Cl- occupy the interstitial positions.

Comparative study of the regeneration characteristics of LiCl and a new mixed liquid desiccant solution

This study first fabricated a new mixed liquid desiccant solution via the addition of hydroxyethyl urea to lithium chloride solution to reduce its causticity in a metal-based regenerator. The formula of the new solution—25% LiCl, 39% hydroxyethyl urea, and 36% water—was determined according to the vapor pressure measured with the static method. Accordingly, its basic thermal properties (e.g., density, viscosity, and conductivity) were measured and compared with those of a 35% LiCl solution. The corrosion characteristics of the mixed solution and the LiCl solution were analyzed with an electrochemical testing method. The regeneration performances of the solutions were experimentally studied, and the results show that the new solution significantly reduced causticity due to the addition of hydroxyethyl urea and a reduction in LiCl concentration. The regeneration effectiveness showed an average relative increase of 14.1% because of the larger wetting ratio and greater fluctuation of falling film. The wetting ratio increased from 81.5% to 87.8%, and the standard deviation of the film thickness increased from 25.441 μm to 31.672 μm with more rigorous fluctuations. Finally, an empirical equation for regeneration effectiveness was developed with an average absolute relative deviation of 4.01%, which provides a useful guide for the design of regenerators.

LiCl/HCl ionic solution for efficient conversion of lignocellulose into glucose under mild conditions

Abstract Molten salt hydrates in diluted acid solutions are a great medium to dissolve cellulose by interrupting the formation of intra- and inter-hydrogen bonding in the crystalline structure of cellulose. In this study, lithium chloride in diluted HCl is used as an inexpensive and efficient way to dissolve and hydrolyze cellulose into glucose. 23 completely randomized design (CRD), including three replications at the center point, was applied to evaluate the effect of LiCl concentration, HCl concentration and cellulose concentration with respect to glucose yield. The composition of LiCl/HCl ionic solution for optimal glucose yield at 80 °C is determined to be 50 wt% of LiCl, 2 wt% of HCl, and 10 wt% of cellulose feedstock. A two stage method is designed for obtaining reducing sugars from sugarcane bagasse in which biomass is treated first with 2 wt% diluted HCl at 100 °C for xylose and then with LiCl/HCl ionic solutions in the second stage at 80 °C for glucose. Total reducing sugar yield of sugarcane bagasse is up to 94.8 wt% indicating that the developed LiCl/HCl ionic solution has potential to treat cellulose for the production of inexpensive fermentable sugar.

Lithium chloride arrests HK-2 cell cycle in G2 phase through AKT/GSK-3β signal pathway

To investigate the effect of lithium chloride (LiCl) on cell cycle of HK-2 cells and explore the possible pathways involved. HK-2 cells were treated with LiCl at different concentrations (5, 12.5, 20, and 25 mmol/L) for 12, 24, 48, or 72 h, and the changes in cell cycle and viability were detected using flow cytometry and CCK-8 assay, respectively. Western blotting was used to analyze the changes in the expressions of cyclin B1 and CDK1 (the two G2 phase-related proteins) and those of AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway-related proteins in the treated cells. LiCl treatment time- and concentration-dependently increased HK-2 cell percentage in G2 phase and decreased the cell vitality. The expressions of cyclin B1, CDK1, p-GSK-3β, and β-catenin increased and the expression of p-AKT decreased significantly in the cells as LiCl treatment time and concentration increased. LiCl may cause HK-2 cell cycle arrest in G2 phase through activation of the AKT/GSK-3β signaling pathway.

A new method for direct synthesis of Li2CO3 powders by membrane electrolysis

A new method for the direct synthesis of Li2CO3 powders by membrane electrolysis from LiCl solution is demonstrated in this paper, where a novel electrolysis system combining ventilation, agitation and loop filtration functions was reported. The aim of this work is to explore the effect of the starting concentration of LiCl on the phase and micromorphology of Li2CO3 crystals and thereafter to explore the mechanism of crystallization and grain growth law. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images indicate that the particles become irregular polycrystalline from well-defined flower-like and the micro-crystals change from lamellar to needle-like and subsequently to smaller globular granules, and the surface of the crystals becomes smooth with LiCl concentration increasing from 50 to 400 g·L−3. The crystalline phases of the different samples were characterized using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the results prove that pure Li2CO3 crystals can be obtained in a single step by the electrolysis method. The particle size distributions show that both volume mean crystal sizes and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) decrease when the starting LiCl concentration increases from 50 to 300 g·L−3 and also decreases from 400 to 300 g·L−3.

Lithium chloride reduces orthodontically induced root resorption and affects tooth root movement in rats.

To investigate the influence of lithium chloride (LiCl) on orthodontic tooth movement (OTM), orthodontically induced root resorption (OIRR), and bone morphometry. Ten-week-old female Sprague Dawley rats (n = 32) were divided into four groups based on the concentration of LiCl administered daily per kilogram body weight: 0 (control group), 0.32, 0.64, and 1.28 mM/kg body weight. The maxillary left first molars were moved mesially by a 10 cN coil spring for 14 days. Micro-computed tomography, scanning electron microscope, and scanning laser microscope images were taken to measure the amount of OTM, the volume of OIRR, and bone morphometry. OIRR clearly decreased depending on the amount of LiCl administered, although OTM moderately decreased. The tooth inclined mesially and the root apex moved distally in the control and 0.32 mM groups. On the other hand, the tooth inclination angle became smaller and the root apex moved mesially in the 0.64 and 1.28 mM groups. In bone morphometry, the cortical bone mineral content and bone volume increased because of LiCl administration, and the trabecular bone measurements decreased. OIRR negatively correlated to the cortical bone measurements, and the amount of OTM significantly correlated to the cortical bone morphometry. In rats, LiCl reduced OIRR, which induced mesial movement of the tooth root apex. OIRR positively correlated to cortical bone morphometry.

High lithium tolerance of Apocynum venetum seeds during germination.

Identification and use of lithium (Li) accumulator plants is a promising strategy to remediate Li-contaminated soil. Apocynum venetum is reported as a Li accumulator. However, its tolerance to Li salt during germination is still unknown. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two Li salts on seed germination of A. venetum.At the same concentrations, germination percentages in LiCl solution were higher than that in Li2CO3 solution. At 25°C, seeds germinated to 4-90% at 0-400mmolL-1 LiCl and 3-91% at 0-150mmolL-1 Li2CO3. Low concentration (0-50mmolL-1) of LiCl did not significantly affect germination percentage. The simulated critical value (when germination percentage is 50%) in LiCl solution is 196mmolL-1, and 36mmolL-1 for Li2CO3. Activity of α-amylase, contents of MDA, soluble sugar, and proline were dramatically affected by Li salts, especially at medium and late germination stages. When compared with control, α-amylase activity of seeds under 25mmolL-1 LiCl and 10mmolL-1 Li2CO3 did not show significant difference. Germination percentage and index, radicle length, and physiological parameters indicate A. venetum seeds are highly tolerant to Li salts during germination, especially LiCl.

Continuous dialysis of hydrochloric acid and lithium chloride: permeability of anion-exchange membrane to chloride ions

A counter-current two-compartment dialyzer equipped with an anion-exchange membrane Neosepta-AFN was used to study dialysis of a hydrochloric acid and lithium chloride mixture. To quantify this process, several characteristics were calculated from the data obtained at steady state. First, the dialysis process was characterized by the acid recovery yield and rejection coefficient of salt, which were in the range of 61–98% and 62–94%, respectively (for HCl and LiCl concentrations from 0.1 to 1.0 kmol m−3 and volumetric liquid flow rates from 8 × 10−9 to 24 × 10−9 m3 s−1). Furthermore, this study proved that dialysis of an HCl + LiCl mixture can be quantified by a single characteristic, i.e., the permeability coefficient of the membrane to chloride ions, which is a function of the concentration of both the components in the feed.

Preparation of PVDF-CTFE hydrophobic membrane by non-solvent induced phase inversion: Relation between polymorphism and phase inversion

Semi-crystalline polymers poly(vinylidene fluoride) and PVDF-based copolymer were common membrane materials which have found broad application. In an attempt to illuminate the relation between phase inversion and the polymer crystalline polymorphism, the effect of LiCl on PVDF polymorphs, membrane morphology, pore structure, hydrophobicity, thermal property, and permeability were investigated for Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) (PVDF-CTFE) membrane prepared by non-solvent induced phase inversion method. Both thermodynamic and kinetic effect were observed, and LiCl was found to favor the crystallization process. The phase inversion route and rate were significantly influenced by LiCl, result in the increase of the content of β-phase, membrane crystallinity, thermo-resistance, overall pore size, and pore interconnectivity when increase LiCl content. The surface pore size and porosity increased firstly when LiCl content was lower than 5%, but significantly decreased with more LiCl. Meanwhile, the pore interconnectivity was highly recommend for membrane evaluation as porosity was found delivering partial information. Membrane M5 presents optimal performance with a permeate flux of 21.85kg/m2h and the permeate conductivity was lower than 15µS/cm at a temperature difference of 30°C. This work demonstrates the relation between phase inversion and the crystalline structure and illuminate its effect on the final membrane. It provides a novel method for membrane mechanism research and membrane evaluation which can be instructive for PVDF membrane research and application.

Electrodeposition of Superconducting Rhenium with Water-in-Salt Electrolyte

Superconductive rhenium films were electrodeposited from a water-in-salt type electrolyte with superhigh concentration of LiCl. Rhenium free electrolytes were also studied with linear sweep voltammetry to further understand the effects of LiCl salt concentration on the ion activity and side reactions. The morphology, crystallographic structures and superconductivity of the electrodeposited Re films were characterized. The hydration of LiCl resulted in a depletion of free water molecules and a decrease of proton reduction. While cracks were ubiquitously observed in films electrodeposited from traditional electrolyte, such cracks are eliminated when water-in-salt is used. An increased critical temperature of 6 K with an improved stability was observed for the Re film deposited from this new type of electrolyte.

Sustainable Electrochemical Extraction of Lithium from Natural Brine for Renewable Energy Storage

An electrochemical reactor for the extraction of lithium from natural brine has been designed. It comprises two 3D porous packed bed electrodes and a porous separator filled with electrolyte. The electrodes are filled with conducting petroleum coke particles covered respectively with LiMn2O4 selective to lithium ions and polypyrrole selective to anions. It operates in two steps: First, the porous electrodes and the separator are filled with natural brine to extract Li+ and Cl− by intercalation and adsorption. Then, after rinsing with water the reactor is filled with a dilute LiCl recovery solution and LiCl is recovered by reversing the electrical current. A mathematical model for the reactor comprising the Nernst-Planck equation and the battery intercalation model has been developed. The model was solved using the finite element method under the COMSOL Multiphysics environment in order to obtain the electrostatic potential and the ion currents and concentrations across the system. Unlike the asymmetric LiMn2O4/activated carbon super-capacitor, in the lithium extracting reactor the total LiCl concentration decreases in the extraction step and increases in the recovery step. A good agreement between the experimental and simulated potential difference vs. time at constant current validates the model of the reactor.

Prokaryotic diversity and community composition in the Salar de Uyuni, a large scale, chaotropic salt flat.

Salar de Uyuni (SdU), with a geological history that reflects 50000 years of climate change, is the largest hypersaline salt flat on Earth and is estimated to be the biggest lithium reservoir in the world. Its salinity reaches saturation levels for NaCl, a kosmotropic salt, and high concentrations of MgCL2 and LiCl, both salts considered important chaotrophic stressors. In addition, extreme temperatures, anoxic conditions, high UV irradiance, high albedo and extremely low concentrations of phosphorous, make SdU a unique natural extreme environment in which to contrast hypotheses about limiting factors of life diversification. Geophysical studies of brines from different sampling stations show that water activity is rather constant along SdU. Geochemical measurements show significant differences in magnesium concentration, ranging from 0.2 to 2M. This work analyses the prokaryotic diversity and community structure at four SdU sampling stations, selected according to their location and ionic composition. Prokaryotic communities were composed of both Archaea (with members of the classes Halobacteria, Thermoplasmata and Nanohaloarchaea, from the Euryarchaeota and Nanohaloarcheota phyla respectively) and Bacteria (mainly belonging to Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria phyla). The important differences in composition of microbial communities inversely correlate with Mg2+ concentration, suggesting that prokaryotic diversity at SdU is chaotropic dependent.

Preparation, characterization and ionic conductivity studies of composite sulfide solid electrolyte

A new composite solid electrolyte was synthesized by a mixture of Li2S, P2S5, SnS and LiCl sintered at temperatures of 550–700 °C, whose ionic conductivity and microstructures were studied respectively. XRD results show that the main phases of the resulting electrolyte were Li7PS6 and LiCl, and the variation of the LiCl content and the sintering temperature led to a small change of phase composition. A suitable addition of LiCl could enhance the ionic conductivity. In addition, SEM images indicated that the grain size increased with the sintering temperature increase, resulting in that the resistance first decreased and then increased. The composite electrolyte with 14 wt% LiCl sintered at 600 °C had the best ionic conductivity of 5.89 × 10−4 S cm−1 and the most chemical stability synchronously.

Extra large pore opening CFI and DON-type zeosils for mechanical energy storage

The energetic performances of pure silica CFI and DON-type zeolites (zeosils) were studied by intrusion-extrusion experiments in water and LiCl aqueous solutions at different concentrations. For both zeosils, characterized by a 1D channel system with 14 MR pore openings, when water is used as nonwetting liquid a perfect reversible spring behavior is observed with an intrusion pressure of 75 and 26 MPa, respectively. The lower value for the DON-type structure is probably due to a larger pore aperture. The intrusion pressures in both cases rise considerably with the LiCl concentration, but the doubling of the salt concentration from 10 to 20 M leads only to a slight increase of the intrusion pressure. The maximal stored energy achieves 14.6 and 6.8 J/g for CFI and DON-type zeosil-based systems, respectively. The zeolite samples were characterized before and after intrusion-extrusion experiments by XRD, SEM, N2 adsorption-desorption, TG and NMR analysis in order to get a better understanding of the influence of these intrusion-extrusion experiments on the CFI and DON-type structures.

Dy3+ doped LiCl–CaO–Bi2O3–B2O3 glasses for WLED applications

Abstract Dy3+ doped calcium bismuth borate glasses were synthesized in the composition range of xLiCl-(30 − x)CaO-20Bi2O3-50B2O3 + 1 mol% Dy2O3 (x = 0, 2, 5, 7, 10 and 15 mol%, LC0, LC2, LC5, LC7, LC10 and LC15 respectively) using conventional melt-quench technique. Broad XRD profiles confirmed non-crystalline nature of synthesized compositions. The compositional dependencies of structural changes (using FTIR spectra), thermal behavior (using DSC thermographs) and optical band gap (using UV–Vis–NIR spectra) were discussed. Photoluminescence (PL) excitation spectra recorded at 577 nm yielded six different excitation peaks belonging to Dy3+ ions. The PL emission spectra recorded at 451 nm were analyzed to extract different light emission parameters viz. Y/B ratio, color coordinates, correlated color temperature (CCT) following CIE 1931 chromaticity diagram. The emission colors were found to lie in white light region and lies very close to standard white light emission. The CCT of sample LC10 (5335 K) is closest to CCT of standard white light (5615 K) which depicted the optimized concentration of LiCl for application of these glasses in WLED application.

Understanding phase equilibria and segregation in Bridgman growth of Cs2LiYCl6 scintillator

Abstract

Energetic performances of FER-type zeolite in the presence of electrolyte solutions under high pressure

The influence of the synthesis procedure and therefore of the morphology (elongated crystals and plate-like crystals) and crystal size on the energetic performances of pure silica Ferrierite was studied by high pressure intrusion-extrusion of water and LiCl aqueous solutions (nonwetting liquid) at different concentrations. The results indicate that the morphology does affect neither the intrusion pressure nor the intruded volume. High intrusion pressure values were found (150, 189, 243 MPa for water, 5 M and 10 M LiCl aqueous solution, respectively) probably due to the channel pore system and to the small pore openings (8 and 10 MR) characteristic of this zeolite. A similar spring behavior of the “zeosil-nonwetting liquid” system is observed whatever the LiCl concentration. The zeolite samples were characterized by XRD, TG, 29Si solid-state NMR spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption and SEM analysis before and after the intrusion-extrusion process.

Purification of Lactobacillus acidophilus surface-layer protein and its immunomodulatory effects on RAW264.7 cells.

Surface-layer proteins (SLP) have been found in the outermost layer of the cell wall in many types of lactobacillus are considered to be an important factor with respect to intestinal immunity. The present study compared the effects of SLP extracted by different concentrations of LiCl and carbamide, and subsequently identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, circular dichroism and differential scanning calorimetry. Furthermore, RAW 264.7 cells were used to evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of SLP. SLP were derived from Lactobacillus acidophilus CICC6074 with a molecular weight of 46 kDa, and consisted of 16.9% α-helix, 42.3% β-sheet, 20.8% β-turns and 22.5% random coils. SLP promoted NO secretion and higher quantities of NO were produced as the SLP concentrations increased. SLP concentrations over 50 µg mL-1 significantly decreased the amount of tumor necrosis factor-α secreted by RAW264.7 cells. SLP can trigger immunomodulatory effects in RAW 264.7 cells. This provides crucial information that will enable the further use of L. acidophilus in food, medicine and other products. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Molecular dynamics study of the transport properties and local structures of molten alkali metal chlorides. Part III. Four binary systems LiCl-RbCl, LiCl-CsCl, NaCl-RbCl and NaCl-CsCl

The effects of LiCl and NaCl on the local structures and transport properties as the self-diffusion coefficients, viscosities and ionic conductivities of molten RbCl and CsCl have been calculated and analyzed in detail at 1100K across the full composition range by molecular dynamics simulations. For molten RbCl or CsCl, with the gradual addition of a smaller cation (Li+ or Na+), the densities of the mixed salts decrease monotonously, besides, the cationic-anionic interactions and the interactions between cations become weaker, while the corresponding atomic close packing gets a promotion respectively. Influenced by the local structures and interatomic forces simultaneously, the shear viscosities of molten LiCl-RbCl, LiCl-CsCl, NaCl-RbCl and NaCl-CsCl decrease firstly and then present slightly fluctuated variations as the contents of LiCl or NaCl are increased, being in consonance with the available experimental results. In addition, the ionic diffusivity and ionic conductivity of each system present positive composition dependences along with the increase of LiCl or NaCl concentration. Besides, the effects of LiCl on the local structures and transport properties of RbCl and CsCl are more pronounced than those of NaCl.