The use of liquid Li-Sn alloys for nuclear fusion applications may be hampered by the high melting point of Li-rich intermetallics. Aiming to inhibit their formation, the blend of pure Li (as high as 15 at.%) with pure Sn was controlled via mechanical alloying at room temperature under a dry Ar atmosphere. The depth profiling of Li down to depths near 15–20 μm was followed by nuclear reaction analysis, while elastic backscattering spectroscopy indicated the absence of O within the alloys. Elemental mapping using a nuclear microprobe evidenced the lateral spread of Li in the Sn matrix and identified Cr, Fe and Pb as the only contaminants with contents lower than 0.05 at.%. Despite the competing ²H(³He,p)⁴He, ⁶Li(³He,p)⁸Be, ⁷Li(³He,p)⁹Be and ⁷Li(³He,d)⁸Be nuclear reactions, retained amounts of deuterium in irradiated surfaces may be quantified with incident ³He⁺ ion beams in the 0.7 MeV–1.0 MeV energy range.

液态锂锡合金在核聚变中的应用可能会因富含锂的金属间化合物的高熔点而受阻。为了抑制它们的形成，在室温下在干燥的Ar气氛下通过机械合金化来控制纯Li（高达15 at。％）与纯Sn的混合物。Li的深度剖析直至15-20μm的深度，然后进行核反应分析，而弹性背散射光谱表明合金中不存在O。使用核微探针的元素标测证明了Li在Sn基体中的横向扩散，并确定了Cr，Fe和Pb是仅有的含量低于0.05 at。％的污染物。尽管有² H（³ He，p）⁴ He，⁶ Li（³He，p）⁸ Be，⁷ Li（³ He，p）⁹ Be和⁷ Li（³ He，d）⁸ Be核反应，可以用入射的³ He ⁺离子束来量化辐照表面中氘的保留量。0.7 MeV–1.0 MeV能量范围。