Beam-assisted large elongation of in situ formed Li(2)O nanowires

As an important component of the solid electrolyte interface in lithium ion batteries and an effective blanket breeding material in fusion reactor, the mechanical property of Li(2)O is of great interest but is not well understood. Here we show that the polycrystalline Li(2)O nanowires were formed in situ by touching and pulling lithium hydroxide under electron beam (e-beam) illumination. The Li(2)O nanowires sustained an enhanced elongation (from 80% to 176%) under low dose e-beam irradiation near room temperature as compared with that (from 51% to 57%) without e-beam irradiation. The extremely high deformability could be understood by the fast Li(2)O diffusion under e-beam irradiation and tensile stress condition. The large elongation without e-beam irradiation implies that nano-structured Li(2)O is ductile near room temperature.