Effect of Li on electrochemical properties of Ti1.4V0.6Ni quasicrystal alloy produced by rapid quenching

• XRD peaks corresponding to the I-phase shift low-angles slightly due to the penetration of Li.
• The honeycomb appears on the surface of alloy after the infiltration of Li.
• The penetration of Li atoms improve the concentration of Li(OH) in battery electrolyte.

The effect of Li on the electrochemical performance of electrodes consisting of Ti1.4V0.6Ni quasicrystal was investigated at room temperature in three-electrode cell set-up. The quasicrystal sample was initially synthesized by arc melting, followed by melt-spinning, and then infiltrated with Li atoms by electroosmosis. According to X-ray diffraction, all ribbon samples were determined to be icosahedral quasicrystal phase (I-phase), V-based solid solution phase with BCC structure and face centered cubic (FCC) phase with Ti2Ni-type structure. After infiltrating some Li atoms into the Ti1.4V0.6Ni quasicrystal lattice under the condition of an electroosmosis current of 0.6 A, we could observe the appearance of Li diffraction peaks. Importantly, the slight shift to the left observed in the diffraction peaks indicated that lattice expansion was caused by the infiltration of Li. The discharge capacity of Ti1.4V0.6Ni–Li material was higher than that of Ti1.4V0.6Ni.The maximum discharge capacity of 307.1 mAh/g was recorded for Ti1.4V0.6Ni–Li at a current density of 30 mAh/g. Both high-rate dischargeability and cycling stability were enhanced as a result of infiltrating Li. The lithium could get into the lattice, which resulted in the formation of microspores on surface of alloy, thus improving electrochemical activity of the alloy electrode. At the same time, the electrochemical reaction kinetics of alloy electrodes was also researched.