A Reversible Change between Lithium Zirconate and Zirconia in Molten Carbonate

The stabilities of lithium zirconate (Li2ZrO3) and zirconia in molten carbonates were tested. There are some disputes about the stable zirconium compound in molten carbonates. We considered a possible reversible change between lithium zirconate and zirconia by means of the thermodynamic calculation and experiments. All results suggest that the change not only depends on temperature and CO2 partial pressure but also on the presence of molten carbonates, e.g., alkali carbonate in molar ratio of Li : K = 62 : 38. In the presence of the molten carbonates, the change proceeds reversibly.