With growing concern about the state of the environment, more and more devices are being powered by lithium batteries due to their higher capacities, longer lives, and ability to be recycled, in comparison to conventional batteries. As with all consumer goods, safety and performance are critical and in the case of lithium batteries they are related to both battery composition and the purity of the materials used for their production. Lithium purity must be monitored, from the initial material to intermediates and all the way to final products. Depending on the end-use and step in the production process, the desired purity levels can vary.
This work demonstrates the ability of the NexION® 2000 ICP-MS to accurately measure impurities in lithium salts commonly used in the production of lithium batteries, thanks to its quadrupole Universal Cell which allows analysis in both Reaction and Collision modes, greatly reducing interferences.