Chemistry and Electrochemistry | Lithium

Abstract

Lithium is a chemical element that heads the alkali group of metals with the chemical symbol Li and an atomic number of 3. It is a soft, lustrous, white-silverish metal that has the lowest density of all metals or solids. Elemental Lithium, like other alkali metals, exhibits extreme reactivity with water, nitrogen, and oxygen. Consequently, storing and transporting Lithium is challenging. Thus, the highly reactive and flammable metal must be stored in an inert or vacuum environment. Lithium, due to its low density, cannot be submerged in kerosene or mineral oil as it simply floats and reacts with air. Hence, it is commonly stored under a layer of petroleum jelly or paraffin wax. On exposure to air, the metal corrodes rapidly, losing its metallic sheen and forming a grayish-black tarnish, a consequence of reactions with nitrogen, oxygen, moisture, and carbon dioxide. Due to its extreme reactivity, lithium element does not occur in nature. Lithium is a rare element typically found in molten rock, salt marshes, and brines. It is believed to be non-essential to human biological processes, despite its widespread usage in medication therapies for its beneficial effects on the human brain. Lithium has the highest oxidation potential due to its tendency to lose electrons, and the electrochemical applications of Lithium and its compounds have been predominantly in primary and secondary lithium-ion batteries for energy storage. Twenty-five years have passed since lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) were commercialized in 1991. With the rapid growth of portable electronic devices, LIBs are indispensable for our comfortable living today. However, the increasing demands for high energy density impose us on developing advanced types of LIBs and so-called beyond LIBs.