Surface chemistries of lithium: Detailed characterization of the reactions with O₂ and H₂O using XPS, EELS, AND microgravimetry

The surface chemical reactions of O₂ and H₂O on clean lithium have been studied by a combination of XPS, EELS and microgravimetry. Reactions with O₂ produce a monolayer of oxide which does not passivate the surface and which allows for the growth of several monolayers of additional oxide, probably as a result of the mixing of zero-valent metal into the oxide layer. The reaction of H₂O with the clean lithium surface results in the complete dissociation of the molecule and loss of hydrogen to form one monolayer of the oxide. This is followed by the formation of multilayers of hydroxide/oxide mixtures which are shown to be unstable over periods of minutes, converting back to the oxide form predominantly.