Hydrolysis behavior of LiBH4 films

Lithium borohydride (LiBH4) films were fabricated under a pre-discharged H2 atmosphere by pulsed laser deposition method. The structural and chemical properties of LiBH4 films were investigated by exposing to the moisture for different time. LiBH4 films react spontaneously with moisture into two major steps according to the slow hydrolysis kinetic to form the solid compounds: LiBO2 and LiOH + Li2B4O7. The different hydrolysis products induce the changes of energy-band structures, such as the shift of lowest conduction band and the increase of OH features. The results reported here are in agreement with the density functional theory (DFT) calculation.