Abstract:
The interest in lithium-containing ceramics is due to their huge potential as blanket
materials for thermonuclear reactors for the accumulation of tritium. However, an important factor
in their use is the preservation of the stability of their strength and structural properties when under
the influence of external factors that determine the time frame of their operation. This paper presents
the results of a study that investigated the influence of the LiTiO2 phase on the increasing resistance
to degradation and corrosion of Li2TiO3 ceramic when exposed to aggressive acidic media. Using
the X-ray diffraction method, it was found that an increase in the concentration of LiClO4
·3H2O
during synthesis leads to the formation of a cubic LiTiO2 phase in the structure as a result of thermal
sintering of the samples. During corrosion tests, it was found that the presence of the LiTiO2 phase
leads to a decrease in the degradation rate in acidic media by 20–70%, depending on the concentration
of the phase. At the same time, and in contrast to the samples of Li2TiO3 ceramics, for which the
mechanisms of degradation during a long stay in aggressive media are accompanied by large mass
losses, for the samples containing the LiTiO2 phase, the main degradation mechanism is pitting
corrosion with the formation of pitting inclusions.
