Applications of Lithium Carbonate
| Jerry Huang
Lithium carbonate, an inorganic compound with its chemical formula Li2CO3, is a colorless monoclinic crystal or white powder. Its density is 2.11g/cm3, melting point 618°C (1.013*10^5Pa), soluble in dilute acid. Lithium carbonate is slightly soluble in water, greater in cold water than in hot water, but it is insoluble in alcohol and acetone. It’s often used in ceramic and pharmaceutical, metallurgical industries etc. It is a key ingredient in alkaline storage battery, NMC111, NMC442, NMC532, NMC622 and LFP lithium-ion batteries.
Applications of lithium carbonate:
----Production of lithium batteries: In the field of high-energy lithium-ion battery (automotive, energy storage) production, it is used to produce materials such as LCO(Lithium Cobalt Oxide), LMO(Lithium ion Manganese Oxide), LTO(Lithium Titanate Oxide), LFP, NMC111, NMC442, NMC532, NMC622 for Li-ion battery and those for other alkaline batteries.
----Used in the metallurgical industry: Lithium is a light metal, which can strongly combine with oxygen atoms. It is used as a deoxidizer in the process of industrial copper and nickel smelting; lithium can be used as a sulfur cleaner. It is also used in alloys with a variety of metals. Magnesium-lithium aluminum alloy is the lightest metal structure material among the magnesium alloys so far, which have wide applications in aerospace and telecommunications.
----Application in medicine: Lithium carbonate, as an ingredient in certain medicine, has a significant inhibitory effect on mania and can improve the affective disorder of schizophrenia. Patient with severe acute mania can be first cured with chlorpromazine or haloperidol, and then maintained by lithium carbonate ingrediented medicine alone, after the acute symptoms are controlled.
----Application in lubricating grease: Lithium carbonate is also used in production of industrial lithium-based grease, which has good water resistance, good lubrication performance both at low and high temperature.
----Application in ceramics & glass: In the glass industry, it is used in preparation of special and optical glass, and it is used as a flux in preparation of ductile ceramics, ceramic coatings for metal maintenance and heat-resistant ceramic coatings.