Synthesis, characterisation and structural analysis of gics based on lithium hydride Original Research Article

The intercalation of lithium hydride into graphite is made possible through the presence of potassium. The influential factors for the intercalation are the KLiH ratio and the temperature. The mechanism of the intercalation is described for 35% in weight of potassium and a temperature of 420 °C. The compounds are characterised by their colours, the volume increase, weight uptake and by X-rays. The experimental electronic density along the c axis is compared to that based on a model. The hkl reflections allow us to determine the structure and the hexagonal unit cell: a = 4.95 Å, c = 2Ic = 17.84 Å for stage 1. The first-stage compound K2LiHC8 presents a very high alkali metal/carbon ratio (3:8) which makes this phase one of the richest metal-containing GICs.