Study of Corrosion Resistance and Degradation Mechanisms in LiTiO2-Li2TiO3 Ceramic

Abstract

The interest in lithium-containing ceramics is due to their huge potential as blanket materials for thermonuclear reactors for the accumulation of tritium. However, an important factor in their use is the preservation of the stability of their strength and structural properties when under the influence of external factors that determine the time frame of their operation. This paper presents the results of a study that investigated the influence of the LiTiO2 phase on the increasing resistance to degradation and corrosion of Li2TiO3 ceramic when exposed to aggressive acidic media. Using the X-ray diffraction method, it was found that an increase in the concentration of LiClO4·3H2O during synthesis leads to the formation of a cubic LiTiO2 phase in the structure as a result of thermal sintering of the samples. During corrosion tests, it was found that the presence of the LiTiO2 phase leads to a decrease in the degradation rate in acidic media by 20–70%, depending on the concentration of the phase. At the same time, and in contrast to the samples of Li2TiO3 ceramics, for which the mechanisms of degradation during a long stay in aggressive media are accompanied by large mass losses, for the samples containing the LiTiO2 phase, the main degradation mechanism is pitting corrosion with the formation of pitting inclusions. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.