Mechanism of reaction synthesis of Li-B alloys

A model for reaction synthesis of Li-B alloys has been presented. Results show that the first exothermal reaction can be divided into three stages. The first stage is an instantaneous reaction on the boundary between boron particles and lithium melting, in which the caloric released is inversely proportional to the particle size of the boron powder. The second stage is a reaction between the unreacted boron and the lithium that diffuses through the product LiB3 on the surface of the boron particle. This process can be described by Johnston model. The third stage is dissolution of the product LiB3 to Li liquid, which takes place at temperature up to 420℃. At the same time, the second exothermal reaction begins, which consists of nucleation and growth of the last Li-B compound. It can be divided into two substages, i.e. the nucleation pregnant stage and the exploded reaction stage. When the concentration of the particle nucleated is high enough, an exploding reaction takes place. The lower the temperature, the longer the time needed for the exploding reaction. By the model presented, the experimental phenomena in the synthesis are explained.