Li vaporization properties of candidate materials for tritium breeder with high Li density

•Li vaporization properties of sintered bodies of Li2TiO3, Li8ZrO6, β-Li5AlO4 and mixture of these phases are investigated.•Li2TiO3 is stable during the thermal annealing at 900°C.•Li8ZrO6 is decomposed to form Li6Zr2O7 and Li2ZrO3, and Li5AlO4 is decomposed into LiAlO2.•β-Li5AlO4 and two-phases of β-Li5AlO4-Li2TiO3 and β-Li5AlO4-Li8ZrO6 have potential as a new advanced tritium breeder. Lithium vaporization properties of sintered compacts of single-phase Li2TiO3, Li8ZrO6, β-Li5AlO4, and two-phase β-Li5AlO4-Li8ZrO6 and β-Li5AlO4-Li2TiO3 are investigated. Li vaporization rates from the sintered pellets are measured by gravimetric methods, and crystalline phase changes are analyzed by X-ray diffraction. Li2TiO3 is stable during thermal annealing at 900°C. In contrast, Li is evaporated from the other materials, and β-Li5AlO4 and Li8ZrO6 are, respectively, decomposed to LiAlO2 and a mixture of Li6Zr2O7 and Li2ZrO3. Considering the high Li density, which is estimated from the Li vaporization rate and initial Li density in the pebble, and appearance stability, the sintered compacts of single-phase β-Li5AlO4 and the two-phase materials β-Li5AlO4-Li2TiO3 and β-Li5AlO4-Li8ZrO6 have the potential to be applied to new advanced tritium breeders with high Li density.