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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Exfoliation of Egyptian Blue and Han Blue, Two Alkali Earth Copper Silicate-based Pigments
Published on: April 24, 2014
Chemical delithiation and exfoliation of [Formula: see text]
Angelika Basch1,2, Liliana de Campo3, Jörg H Albering4
1Center of Sustainable Energy Systems, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia.
Abstract:
Progressive chemical .delithiation of commercially available lithium cobalt oxide ([Formula: see text]) showed consecutive changes in the crystal properties. Rietveld refinement of high resolution X-ray and neutron diffraction revealed an increased lattice parameter c and a reduced lattice parameter a for chemically delithiated samples. Using electron microscopy we have also followed the changes in the texture of the samples towards what we have found is a critical layer stoichiometry of about [Formula: see text] with x=1/3 that causes the grains to exfoliate. The pattern of etches by delithiation suggests that unrelieved strain fields may produce chemical activity.
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