Analysis of Trace Impurities in Lithium Carbonate

Lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) is a critical raw material in cathode material production, a core of Li-ion battery manufacturing. The quality of this material significantly influences its market value, with impurities potentially affecting Li-ion battery performance and longevity. While the importance of impurity analysis is acknowledged by suppliers and manufacturers of battery materials, reports on elemental analysis of trace impurities in Li2CO3 salt are scarce. This study aims to establish and validate an analytical methodology for detecting and quantifying trace impurities in Li2CO3 salt. Various analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), were employed to analyze synthetic and processed lithium salt. X-ray diffraction patterns of Li2CO3 were collected via step-scanning mode in the 5–80° 2θ range. SEM-EDX was utilized for particle morphology and quantitative impurity analysis, with samples localized on copper tape. XPS equipped with a hemispherical electron analyzer was employed to analyze the surface composition of the salt. For ICP-OES analysis, a known amount of lithium salt was subjected to acid digestion and dilution with ultrapure water. Multielemental standard solutions were prepared, including elements such as Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Si, Zn, Ca, K, Mg, Na, and S. Results confirmed the presence of the zabuyelite phase in XRD analysis, corresponding to the natural form of lithium carbonate. SEM-EDX mapping revealed impurities of Si and Al, with low relative quantification values of 0.12% and 0.14%, respectively. XPS identified eight potential impurity elements, including S, Cr, Fe, Cl, F, Zn, Mg, and Na, alongside Li, O, and C. Regarding ICP-OES analysis, performance parameters such as linearity, limit of detection (LOD), and quantification (LOQ), variance, and recovery were evaluated for analytical validation. ICP-OES results demonstrated high linearity (>0.99), with LOD and LOQ values ranging from 0.001 to 0.800 ppm and 0.003 to 1.1 ppm, respectively, for different elements. The recovery rate exceeded 90%. In conclusion, the precision of the new ICP-OES methodology renders it suitable for identifying and characterizing Li2CO3 impurities. It can effectively complement solid-state techniques such as XRD, SEM-EDX, and XPS.