Synthesis and Characterisation of a Lithium Ferrite Electrode for Nuclear Reactor Applications

Abstract

Chemistry control and corrosion measurement have been investigated by researchers in nuclear industry for decades. Electrochemical measurement in extreme conditions has proven difficult, as many electrodes suffer from short lifetimes. Both lithium and ferric oxides are present in nuclear systems, making lithium ferrite an attractive electrode material due to its non-contaminating nature. Lithium ferrite (LiFe5O8), a spinel-type ferrite, was successfully synthesized and characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM analyses. The determination of identifiable peaks by Laser Raman analysis was achieved and provided a distinction between the ordered (α) and disordered (β) phases. A bulk sample containing more than 50% of the β-phase lithium-ferrite powder could be simply produced through solid state synthesis by combining lithium carbonate and ferric oxide. Electrochemical testing of lithium ferrite pellets in varying concentrations of LiOH solution showed good correlation (92-98%) with Nernstian behavior.