High-temperature lithium transport and phase evolution in amorphous Al₂O₃ exposed to lead–lithium
Journal article, 2026
Ceramic materials exposed to lithium-containing environments are of interest for applications including solid-state electrolytes, electrochemical storage, and fusion reactor systems. In fusion blankets, ceramic coatings deposited on steel substrates must withstand high-temperature operation in contact with lithium-containing coolants while providing chemical stability, electrical insulation, and corrosion protection. This work investigates lithium transport, phase evolution, and chemical stability in ceramic coatings exposed to liquid lead-lithium environments. Amorphous Al₂O₃ coatings deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on EUROFER97 steel were exposed to static lead-lithium eutectic at 550 °C for up to 7000 h. Coating evolution was investigated by combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atom probe tomography (APT), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction analyses with kinetic and thermodynamic modeling. Exposure to lead-lithium induces an amorphous-to-crystalline transition associated with the formation of the lithium-containing ternary phase LiAl₅O₈. Lithium rapidly diffuses into the alumina coating during early exposure stages, reaching a stable bulk concentration of approximately 3–4 at% after less than 1000 h. A lithium-enriched region develops at the coating–liquid metal interface, while localized lithium accumulation is also observed near the coating–steel interface. Despite lithium incorporation and partial crystallization, no significant lithium penetration into the EUROFER97 substrate is detected. These findings provide new insights into lithium incorporation mechanisms and phase evolution in ceramic coatings exposed to lithium-containing liquid metals, highlighting the importance of advanced characterization techniques for understanding their long-term behavior.
Lead-lithium
Phase, transformation
Alumina coatings
Lithium diffusion
Advanced characterizations
Pulsed laser deposition
Author
A. Stinchelli
Polytechnic University of Milan
X-nano Srl
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
B. Paladino
Polytechnic University of Milan
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
Andrew London
Culham Science Centre
Andrea Fazi
Chalmers, Physics, Microstructure Physics
F. De Boni
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
M. Klimenkov
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
M. T. Dürrschnabel
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
G. Leonardis
Polytechnic University of Milan
X-nano Srl
J. Julin
University of Jyväskylä
A. Priebe
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa)
Johann Michler
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa)
M. Laitinen
University of Jyväskylä
M. Angiolini
Ente Per Le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente
S. Bassini
Ente Per Le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente
M. Prato
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
C. Schroer
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
M. Utili
Ente Per Le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente
Mattias Thuvander
Chalmers, Physics, Microstructure Physics
F. Di Fonzo
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
X-nano Srl
Corrosion Science
0010-938X (ISSN)
Vol. 272 114256Implementation of activities described in the Roadmap to Fusion during Horizon Europe through a joint programme of the members of the EUROfusion consortium
European Commission (EC) (101052200), 2021-01-01 -- 2025-12-31.
Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)
Materials Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Condensed Matter Physics
Infrastructure
Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory
Areas of Advance
Materials Science
DOI
10.1016/j.corsci.2026.114256
Related datasets
Supplementary material [dataset]
URI: https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0010938X26006657-mmc1.docx