Crystal structure of advanced lithium titanate with lithium oxide additives

Li2TiO3 is one of the most promising candidates among solid breeder materials proposed for fusion reactors. However, the mass of Li2TiO3 was found to decrease with time in the sweep gas mixed with hydrogen. This mass change indicates that the oxygen content of the sample decreased, suggesting the change from Ti4+ to Ti3+. In the present paper, the crystal structure and the non-stoichiometry of Li2TiO3 added with Li2O have been extensively investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetry. In the case of the Li2TiO3 samples used in the present study, LiO–C2H5 or LiO–i–C3H7 and Ti(O–i–C3H7)4 were mixed in the proportion corresponding to the molar ratio Li2O/TiO2 of either 2.00 or 1.00. In thermogravimetry, the mass of this sample decreased with time due to lithium deficiency, where no presence of oxygen deficiency was indicated.