High-Purity Lithium Metal Films from Aqueous Mineral Solutions
By Mashtalir, Olha; Nguyen, Minh; Bodoin, Emilie; Swonger, Larry; O
Published in ACS Omega
2018
Abstract
Lithium metal is a leading candidate for next-generation electrochemical energy storage and therefore a key material for the future sustainable energy economy. Lithium has a high specific energy, low toxicity, and relatively favorable abundance. The majority of lithium production originates from salt lakes and is based on long (>12 months) periods of evaporation to concentrate the lithium salt, followed by molten electrolysis. Purity requires separation from base metals (Na, K, Ca, Mg, etc.), which is a time-consuming, energy-intensive process, with little control over the microstructure. Here, we show how a membrane-mediated electrolytic cell can be used to produce lithium thin films (5