Alloy Formation Processes at Electrochemical Intercalation
of Lithium into Intermetallic Compounds
of Magnesium with Zinc

V. V. Ozeryanskaya^z and V. E. Guterman

South Federal University, Faculty of Chemistry, ul. Zorge 7, Rostov-na-Donu, 344090 Russia

Received February 12, 2007

Abstract—A comparative study of alloy formation processes that occur during the electrochemical intercala-
tion of lithium from lithium chloride solutions in dimethylformamide into intermetallic compounds of magne-
sium with zinc (MgZn₂, Mg₂Zn₃) and the corresponding individual metals is studied by chronopotentiometric
and voltammetric methods. Lithium-containing phases are formed in all samples studied; moreover, for MgZn₂
and Mg₂Zn₃ electrodes, the phases formed are preferentially in the Li–Zn system. The largest number of lith-
ium-containing phases is formed in zinc. It is shown that the electrochemical behavior of intermetallic elec-
trodes is associated with their nature, where a single alloy component plays the key role, namely, zinc for
MgZn₂ and magnesium for Mg₂Zn₃. The cathodic intercalation of lithium into MgZn₂ is characterized by anom-
alously low polarizability as compared with the other electrodes. The lithium extraction coefficient
increases from the first to the tenth cycle for all electrode studied. The highest are typical of Zn and the
lowest are typical of Mg₂Zn₃.

Key words: lithium, intermetallic compounds, alloy formation, electrochemical intercalation, magnesium, zinc

DOI: 10.1134/S1023193507120105

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