CHARACTERISATION OF Al-3,49wt%-Li ALLOY OXIDISED SURFACE USING AUGER ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY

Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) has been used to study the surface of aluminium-Lithium alloy (Al-3,49wt%-Li). In this work, the surface atomic composition as a function of temperature was followed. A great amount of Chemisorbed oxygen and carbon induce the Li segregation and shows that oxygen reacts first with the segregated Li, then with both Li and Al. The carbon adsorbed forms the lithium carbonate which decomposes to form a lithium oxide. The formed Li oxides have been characterised using the activation energy of Li segregation determined experimentally. The heat of the Li2CO3 formation and the Li oxide layer formed have been estimated.