Physicochemical stability under inert and reductive atmospheres of Li2TiO3 produced from Li2CO3 obtained from Argentinean brines

CARBAJAL-RAMOS, I.A.; ZACUR, J.L.; ANDRADE-GAMBOA, J.; PALACIOS, N.; RODRIGUEZ, M.; GENNARI, F.C.

FUSION ENGINEERING AND DESIGN

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA

Año: 2018

0920-3796

Lithium metatitanate (Li2TiO3) is one of the most promising candidates as tritium breeder material in a fusion reactor due to its physical and chemical properties. In this paper, the syntheses of Li2TiO3 by combustion in solution (SCS) and solid-solid (SSS) were developed using as raw material Li2CO3 produced from Argentinean brines and TiO2. In SCS, aqueous solution of Li2CO3 and TiO2 as metal precursors, citric/tartaric acids as complexing agent/fuel and HNO3 as oxidant was formed, heated to dryness and then self-combusted. The solid obtained was calcined at 550 °C for 12 h to obtain nanometric Li2TiO3 (monoclinic phase, 90%), with particle sizes 90% and 99%) were obtained even at low heating temperatures (400 and 600 °C for 24 h, respectively). The synthesized powders show mean grain sizes in the nanometric range, particle sizes