摘要
Lithium-calcium alanate, LiCa(AlH4)3, was synthesized by a mechano-chemically activated reaction of LiAlH4 with CaCl2 in a molar ratio of 3:1. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy indicated that the reactants converted entirely into LiCa(AlH4)3 accompanied with a by-product LiCl after 30xA0;h ball-milling. LiCa(AlH4)3 crystallized in a hexagonal structure with space group P63/m (No. 176), and with cell parameters axA0;=xA0;bxA0;=xA0;8.9197(12) and cxA0;=xA0;5.8887(7)xA0;脜. Thermal decomposition of LiCa(AlH4)3 initiated around 120xA0;掳C and proceeded mainly in three steps. The first two steps could be assigned to the formation of CaH2, LiH and Al, with LiCaAlH6 as a possible intermediate, and the third step was the further formation of some CaAl intermetallic phases.