Lithium sulfide (Li2S)

UsesLithium sulfide has been studied as a MgB2- like superconductor. It is also used as a cathode material in rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries.

UsesLithium sulfide (Li2S) is a product specially designed for the use in high performance batteries which can be either applied as electrode material or as precursor for solid electrolytes. It as an electrode material not only has high capacity but also overcomes many problems caused by pure sulfur electrodes. Lithium sulfide is an anti fluorite semiconductor (bandgap 3.865eV). It exists in orthorhombic and cubic structures. The densities of the orthorhombic and cubic structures are 1.75g/cm3 and 1.63g/cm3 respectively. Lithium sulfide has been studied as a MgB2- like superconductor. It is also used as a cathode material in rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries.

General DescriptionLithium sulfide is an anti fluorite semiconductor (bandgap 3.865eV). It exists in orthorhombic and cubic structures. The densities of the orthorhombic and cubic structures are 1.75g/cm3 and 1.63g/cm3 respectively.

PreparationLithium sulfide, Li2S, is formed in the reaction of lithium with sulfur in liquid ammonia, by the decomposition of the ethanol adduct of lithium hydrogen sulfide with lithium ethanolate, and, more recently, by the reaction of hydrogen sulfide with lithium amylate to yield lithium hydrogen sulfide, LiSH, which is thermally decomposed in a vacuum to yield the sulfide. A very high quality anhydrous lithium sulfide may be prepared by the reaction of lithium metal and hydrogen sulfide in tetrahydrofuran if care is taken to exclude water. The reaction product is filtered from the reaction medium, and it is vacuum dried to remove tetrahydrofuran and to decompose the small amount of lithium hydrogen sulfide which forms. Lithium sulfide is reported to have an antifluorite structure. Lithium sulfide is readily hydrolyzed, even by water in the air, yielding hydrogen sulfide. The sulfide also reacts with sulfur to form a variety of polysulfides.