Enhancing properties of Li2TiO3/Li4SiO4 tritium breeding ceramics by chitosan addition

Li 2 TiO 3 /Li 4 SiO 4 ceramics have been regarded as promising tritium breeders due to their numerous merits. In this work, chitosan was employed as an effective binder to provide adhesion of Li 2 TiO 3 particles to Li 4 SiO 4 particles, resulting in Li 2 TiO 3 /Li 4 SiO 4 ceramics with improved performance. Chitosan could be removed during the sintering process and had little influence on the phase composition. The resulting Li 2 TiO 3 /Li 4 SiO 4 ceramics had higher density (92.5%T.D.), greater crushing loads (115.2 ± 20.8 N) and superior thermal properties (3.61 W/m∙K) when compared to the samples prepared without chitosan. SEM analyses displayed a dual-scale structure and the inter- and trans -granular fracture mode. Thermal cycling tests revealed that the phase composition was stable but the crushing load fell slightly. The crushing load remained at 92.4 ± 17.1 N after 12 cycles. Overall, chitosan plays an important role in the amelioration of interface combination between Li 4 SiO 4 and Li 2 TiO 3 , and thus significantly improve density, crushing load and thermal conductivity of Li 2 TiO 3 /Li 4 SiO 4 .