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While an Al-Li alloy is expected to be useful as an active material for a negative electrode in a Li battery, the electrochemical lithiation of pure AI metal is known to be quite difficult. In this work, we sought to clarify why an Al electrode hardly absorbs Li from a pure Al state, from the viewpoint of elasticity theory and thermodynamics. We consider two cases: (i) an AlLi compound with elastic strain due to volume expansion is formed in the Al matrix, and (ii) Li ions are absorbed into an Al electrode that has been pre-strained by rolling. These strain-energy effects are discussed with the aid of a chemical-potential diagram and the Gibbs-Duhem equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel particles ~300 nm in diameter were fabricated by electroless deposition using hydrazine as a reducing agent in nickel hydroxide/ethylene glycol suspension at 353 K without any dispersing agent. The formation mechanism of nickel nanoparticles is discussed from the viewpoint of thermodynamics with in situ monitoring of nickel deposition and mixed potential. Specifically, in Situ monitoring of mixed potential in combination with thermodynamic calculation is useful in discriminating whether or not nickel will be deposited in a reaction. The mixed potential drastically changed at the end point of the nickel deposition reaction. indicating that the cathodic reaction, which determined the mixed potential, switched from the nickel deposition reaction to hydrogen generation reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]