LiH as a Li+ and H− ion provider

•First-principles study of formation and migration of native defects in LiH•Lithium and hydrogen vacancies are the dominant defects with a low formation energy.•In its reactions with another reactant, LiH can act as a Li+ and H− ion provider.

We present a first-principles study of the formation and migration of native defects in lithium hydride (LiH), a material of interest in hydrogen storage and lithium-ion batteries. We find that the negatively charged lithium vacancy and positively charged hydrogen vacancy are the dominant defects in LiH with a formation energy of about 0.85 eV. With this low energy, LiH can be a good provider of Li+ and/or H− ions. Based on our results, we discuss the role of LiH in its reactions with another reactant which are important in hydrogen storage and lithium-ion batteries, and explain the ionic conductivity and hydrogen surface loss as observed in experiments.