Structures of lithium-zinc compounds at high pressures.

Intermetallic lithium compounds have found a wide range of applications owing to their light mass and desirable electronic and mechanical properties. Here, by compressing pure lithium and zinc mixtures in a diamond-anvil cell, we observe a direct reaction forming the stoichiometric compound LiZn, at pressures below 1 GPa. On further compression above 10 GPa, we observe the formation of Li2Zn, which is the highest lithium content compound to be discovered in the Li–Zn system. Our results constrain the structures of these compounds and their evolution with pressure, furthering our understanding of potentially useful light volume-efficient energy storage materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]