Study of the Reaction of Lithium with Isostructural A[sub 2]B and Various Al[sub x]B Alloys

The electrochemical alloying reaction of Li with isostructural and Al‐base alloys has been investigated. The binary alloys we selected are isostructural and comprise an active element (A) that alloys with lithium, and an inactive one (B) that does not. These compounds were prepared by mechanical alloying and have small grain size (10–20 nm). With the exception of , we observed a full reaction of A with lithium ( , where the theoretical values of x are 1 for Sb, and 4.4 for Si, Ge, and Sn). Extremely slow electrochemical cycling at 55°C and potentiostatic tests at lithium potential proved the total inactivity of the vs. lithium. However, thermodynamic considerations predict that the reaction of with Li should occur and that the formation of LiAl should be observed. Other Al‐transition metal intermetallics were studied and were also found to be inert toward Li, suggesting that the Al‐transition metal bond has unique features. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.