Structures of lithium-zinc compounds at high pressures.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Chemistry
• High-Pressure Physics

Background:

• Intermetallic lithium compounds are valuable due to their light weight and excellent electronic/mechanical properties.
• The Li-Zn system is of interest for potential applications in energy storage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the formation and structural properties of new lithium-zinc compounds under high pressure.
• To explore novel intermetallic phases in the Li-Zn system for energy storage applications.

Main Methods:

• Compression of pure lithium and zinc mixtures using a diamond-anvil cell.
• Analysis of compound formation and structural evolution at pressures below and above 10 GPa.

Main Results:

• Direct formation of the stoichiometric compound LiZn at pressures below 1 GPa.
• Discovery of Li₂Zn, the highest lithium content compound in the Li-Zn system, at pressures above 10 GPa.
• Constrained structures and pressure-dependent evolution of these novel compounds.

Conclusions:

• The study reveals new high-pressure phases in the Li-Zn system.
• These findings contribute to the understanding of light, volume-efficient energy storage materials.