Magnesium-lithium-alloys — constitution and fabrication for use in batteries

Additions of just over 10 wt% lithium to magnesium cause its crystal structure to become cubic and render the alloy readily workable. The present work studies the preparation and fabrication of binary Mg-Li and ternary Mg-Li-Al alloys and makes a preliminary assessment of their suitability as anodes in primary battery systems. The preferred technique is induction melting in a silicon carbide crucible, followed by chill casting, under a protective argon atmosphere. Single-phase alloys, including those with lower lithium content, require intermediate annealing. These alloys have similar corrosion resistance to other magnesium-base alloys such as AZ31 and give consistently higher voltages and better discharge characteristics during battery studies.