Diffusion Of Lithium In Thin Copper Measured By Neutron Depth Profiling

The diffusion of lithium in copper was measured in thin Cu/Li/Cu multilayer systems with a narrow Li slab sandwiched between two copper coating layers. The measurement was performed using a non-destructive neutron depth profiling (NDP) technique installed at the LWR-15 research reactor in R.ez.. The diffusion coefficients have been obtained for different annealing temperatures between 100 and 500 degrees C: 4.6 x 10(-17) cm(2)/s for 100 degrees C, 4.2 x 10(-17) cm(2)/s for 200 degrees C, 8.9 x 10(-17) cm(2)/s for 300 degrees C, and 2.06 x 10(-15) cm(2)/s for 500 degrees C. The NDP technique makes it possible to advantageously determine the diffusion parameters directly on the basis of measuring the Li depth profiles. The measurement of Li diffusion is important not only for a better understanding of the diffusion mechanism of Li in solids but also for relevant technological applications, such as the efficient generation of Li ions for radioactive ion beams (RIB) in isotope separation online (ISOL) facilities, or for monitoring of Li-ion migration in active lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).