spore: profile
id: lithium-phosphate
spore_version: 0.2
family: lithium
name: Lithium phosphate (Li3PO4)
role: solid electrolyte precursor and cathode coating
category: energy
type: solid-state-batteries
summary: |
  Lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) is a white inorganic powder made of lithium ions and phosphate groups. Its main technical use is as the sputtering source for LiPON, a thin-film solid electrolyte, and it is also tested as a coating on lithium-ion cathode particles. The supplier data sheets agree on density but give two different melting points.
best_for: Sputtering targets for thin-film LiPON electrolytes, and surface-coating experiments on cathode powders
weakest_at: 'Ionic conductivity: crystalline Li3PO4 conducts ions poorly, and the sources print conductivity only as powers of ten, so no value is recorded here'
identity:
  formula: Li3PO4
  cas: 10377-52-3
  source: prochem-sds
  where: Section 3 composition block (formula Li3PO4, CAS 10377-52-3); Angstrom Sciences SDS Section 1 prints the same CAS
tags:
  environments: []
  stresses: []
  applications:
    - batteries
properties:
  - benchmark: density
    label: Density, supplier product page
    value: 2.54
    unit: g/cm3
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: powder, as sold by the supplier
      temperature: not stated
    method: Value printed on the supplier's product specification list
    status: ground
    source: ulp-li3po4
    where: Product specification list, Density field
  - benchmark: density
    label: Density, supplier safety data sheet
    value: 2.537
    unit: g/cc
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: Powder, granules, pellets, sputtering target (forms listed in the SDS)
      temperature: not stated
    method: Value printed in the physical and chemical properties section of the SDS
    status: ground
    source: angstrom-sds
    where: Section 9, Density
  - benchmark: melting_point
    label: Melting point, supplier product page
    value: 837
    unit: °C
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: powder, as sold by the supplier
    method: Value printed on the supplier's product specification list
    status: ground
    note: Conflicts with the 1205 °C printed by ProChem for the same CAS number; both values are kept side by side.
    source: ulp-li3po4
    where: Product specification list, Melting point field
  - benchmark: melting_point
    label: Melting point, Angstrom Sciences SDS
    value: 837
    unit: °C
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: Powder, granules, pellets, sputtering target (forms listed in the SDS)
    method: Value printed in the physical and chemical properties section of the SDS
    status: ground
    note: The same 837 value is printed on the ULP product page; ProChem gives 1205 °C.
    source: angstrom-sds
    where: Section 9, Melting Point
  - benchmark: melting_point
    label: Melting point, ProChem safety data sheet (product 2360)
    value: 1205
    unit: °C
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: powder, product 2360
    method: Value printed in the physical and chemical properties section of the SDS
    status: ground
    note: Conflicts with the 837 °C given by ULP and Angstrom Sciences.
    source: prochem-sds
    where: Physical and chemical properties section, MELTING POINT line
  - benchmark: melting_point
    label: Melting point, ProChem product page (product 2360)
    value: 1205
    unit: °C
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: powder, product 2360
    method: Value printed on the supplier's product page
    status: ground
    source: prochem-page
    where: Product specification, Melting point line
  - benchmark: molar_mass
    label: Molar mass, Angstrom Sciences SDS
    value: 115.8
    unit: g/mol
    scope: material
    conditions:
      basis: Molecular Weight line of the SDS
    method: Value printed in the physical and chemical properties section of the SDS
    status: ground
    source: angstrom-sds
    where: Section 9, Molecular Weight
  - benchmark: molar_mass
    label: Molar mass, ULP product page
    value: 115.79
    unit: g/mol
    scope: material
    conditions:
      basis: Molecular weight field of the product page
    method: Value printed on the supplier's product specification list
    status: ground
    source: ulp-li3po4
    where: Product specification list, Molecular weight field
  - benchmark: water_solubility
    label: Water solubility, Angstrom Sciences SDS
    value: 0.39
    unit: g/l
    scope: material
    conditions:
      temperature: not stated in the SDS
    method: Value printed in the physical and chemical properties section of the SDS
    status: ground
    source: angstrom-sds
    where: Section 9, Water Solubility
  - benchmark: assay_purity
    label: Assay of the 99.99% grade (supplier product 03150800PD002)
    value: 99.99
    unit: '%'
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: powder
    method: Assay printed on the supplier's product list
    status: ground
    source: ulp-li3po4
    where: Product list, product 03150800PD002
  - benchmark: assay_purity
    label: Assay of the 99.9% grade (supplier product 03150800PD001)
    value: 99.9
    unit: '%'
    scope: material
    conditions:
      form: powder
    method: Assay printed on the supplier's product list
    status: ground
    source: ulp-li3po4
    where: Product list, product 03150800PD001
  - benchmark: assay_purity
    label: Assay, Ereztech listing
    value: 99.99
    unit: '%'
    scope: material
    conditions:
      method_of_assay: by elemental analysis (as printed)
    method: Assay printed on the supplier's product specification list
    status: ground
    source: ereztech
    where: Product specification list, Purity field
  - benchmark: capacity_retention
    label: Capacity retention after 100 cycles, Li3PO4-coated NCM cathode (coating study)
    value: 82
    unit: '%'
    scope: material
    conditions:
      cathode: LiNi0.91Co0.06Mn0.03O2 with a 0.1 mol.% Li3PO4 coating
      cycles: 100
    method: Capacity retention after the 100th cycle, as printed in the abstract and Table 2 of the paper
    status: ground
    note: A test on a coated cathode, not on pure Li3PO4.
    source: sci-rep-2021
    where: Abstract; Table 2, capacity retention after 100th cycles
  - benchmark: capacity_retention
    label: Capacity retention after 100 cycles, uncoated NCM cathode (comparison)
    value: 68.1
    unit: '%'
    scope: material
    conditions:
      cathode: LiNi0.91Co0.06Mn0.03O2 without coating
      cycles: 100
    method: Capacity retention after the 100th cycle, as printed in the abstract and Table 2 of the paper
    status: ground
    source: sci-rep-2021
    where: Abstract; Table 2, pristine row
corrosion:
  - environment: Sputter deposition in argon (film ageing)
    headline: Crystallization of the sputtered film lowers its ionic conduction.
    effect: 'The NIMS record of Ohnishi and Takada (ACS Omega, 2022) quotes the abstract: ''crystallization of Li3PO4 impedes ionic conduction''. The same abstract says a moderate oxygen addition to the argon sputtering gas suppresses crystallization.'
    rating: moderate
    conditions:
      process: RF sputtering of Li3PO4 films in argon, with and without oxygen addition
    source: nims-ohnishi2022
    where: Abstract, as quoted on the NIMS record
  - environment: Water and moisture (powder)
    headline: The SDS prints a water solubility of 0.39 g/l, with no temperature given.
    effect: Angstrom Sciences prints a water solubility of 0.39 g/l for lithium phosphate. No humidity or long-term moisture test of the powder was found in the sources we hold.
    rating: unknown
    conditions:
      basis: water solubility line of the SDS; temperature not stated
    source: angstrom-sds
    where: Section 9, Water Solubility
risks:
  hazards:
    - text: 'PubChem aggregates GHS data from 192 company reports from 10 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory, signal word Warning: H302 Harmful if swallowed (100%); H315 Causes skin irritation (25%); H319 Causes serious eye irritation (79.2%); H335 May cause respiratory irritation (22.4%). The percentage is the share of notifications giving that code.'
      ghs:
        - H302
        - H315
        - H319
        - H335
      source: pubchem-li3po4
      where: Safety and Hazards, GHS Classification
    - text: 'ProChem safety data sheet for product 2360 (CAS 10377-52-3): Signal Word Warning; H302 Harmful if swallowed; H315 Causes skin irritation; H319 Causes serious eye irritation; H335 May cause respiratory irritation.'
      ghs:
        - H302
        - H315
        - H319
        - H335
      source: prochem-sds
      where: Section 2, Hazard Statements
    - text: 'Angstrom Sciences safety data sheet for Lithium Phosphate (CAS 10377-52-3, last revised 07/13/15): Signal Word Danger; H301 Toxic if swallowed. This conflicts with the Warning classes above; both are kept.'
      ghs:
        - H301
      source: angstrom-sds
      where: Section 2, Hazard Statements
  failure_risks:
    - mode: Film crystallizes and loses ionic conduction
      trigger: Sputtering without the moderate oxygen addition to the argon gas that the paper describes
      consequence: Crystallization impedes ionic conduction (abstract as quoted on the NIMS record of Ohnishi and Takada, 2022).
      severity: moderate
      source: nims-ohnishi2022
      where: Abstract, as quoted on the NIMS record
  side_effects:
    - text: Hazardous combustion and decomposition products are oxides of phosphorus and lithium oxides.
      affects: Fire-fighters and nearby materials
      source: prochem-sds
      where: Hazardous combustion and decomposition products entry
  handling:
    - text: After swallowing, rinse the mouth with water and give one or two glasses of water. Do not induce vomiting (ProChem SDS first-aid section).
      source: prochem-sds
      where: Section 4, Ingestion
    - text: The Angstrom Sciences SDS classes the product as toxic if swallowed (H301), so treat it as toxic until the supplier's own SDS for the batch has been read.
      source: angstrom-sds
      where: Section 2, Hazard Statements
uses:
  - application: batteries
    device: Thin-film solid electrolyte (LiPON) for thin-film batteries
    example: Goodfellow describes lithium phosphate as a high-purity sputtering target and says that reactive sputtering in nitrogen creates lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) films with enhanced properties, citing Ohnishi and Takada (2022).
    source: goodfellow
    where: Product page, sputtering and LiPON text
  - application: batteries
    device: Coating on Ni-rich layered-oxide cathode powder (research)
    example: Converting residual lithium on LiNi0.91Co0.06Mn0.03O2 into a Li3PO4 coating (0.1 mol.% Li3PO4) gave 82% capacity retention after 100 cycles, against 68.1% for the uncoated cathode.
    source: sci-rep-2021
    where: Abstract; Table 2
supply:
  - subject: Lithium
    producers:
      - country: Australia
        share_percent: 31.7
        year: 2025
      - country: Chile
        share_percent: 19.3
        year: 2025
      - country: China
        share_percent: 21.4
        year: 2025
      - country: Zimbabwe
        share_percent: 9.7
        year: 2025
      - country: Argentina
        share_percent: 7.9
        year: 2025
    critical_lists:
      - list: 'USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals (entry: Lithium, used in rechargeable batteries)'
        listed: true
    recycling: 'USGS: construction of lithium battery recycling plants continued throughout 2025.'
    substitutes:
      - 'USGS: substitution for lithium compounds is possible in batteries, ceramics, greases, and manufactured glass.'
    source: usgs-mcs2026-lithium
    where: World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025 (shares calculated by Space Mushroom against the printed world total of 290,000, which excludes U.S. production); Recycling; Substitutes
  - subject: Phosphorus (phosphate rock)
    producers:
      - country: China
        share_percent: 44
        year: 2025
      - country: Morocco
        share_percent: 14.4
        year: 2025
      - country: United States
        share_percent: 8
        year: 2025
      - country: Russia
        share_percent: 5.6
        year: 2025
    critical_lists:
      - list: 'USGS 2025 List of Critical Minerals (entry: Phosphate, used in fertilizers)'
        listed: true
    recycling: 'USGS phosphate rock chapter: Recycling: None.'
    substitutes:
      - 'USGS: there are no substitutes for phosphorus in agriculture.'
    source: usgs-mcs2026-phosphate
    where: World Mine Production and Reserves table, 2025 (shares calculated by Space Mushroom against the printed world total of 250,000 thousand metric tons); Recycling; Substitutes
documents:
  - title: 'Angstrom Sciences safety data sheet: Lithium Phosphate (CAS 10377-52-3, revised 07/13/15)'
    type: sds
    url: https://angstromsciences.com/wp-content/uploads/files/SDS/Lithium%20Phosphate.pdf
    year: 2015
  - title: 'ProChem safety data sheet: Lithium Phosphate, product 2360'
    type: sds
    url: https://prochemonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2360.LithiumPhosphate.pdf
  - title: 'PubChem: Lithium phosphate (CID 165867), GHS classification summary'
    type: database
    url: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/165867
  - title: Sputter-Deposited Amorphous Li3PO4 Solid Electrolyte Films (Ohnishi and Takada, ACS Omega 7, 21199, open access)
    type: paper
    url: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.2c02104
    year: 2022
  - title: Dual function Li-reactive coating from residual lithium on Ni-rich NCM cathode material (Scientific Reports 11, 18590, open access)
    type: paper
    url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98123-4
    year: 2021
  - title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Lithium'
    type: report
    url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-lithium.pdf
    year: 2026
  - title: 'USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026: Phosphate Rock'
    type: report
    url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-phosphate.pdf
    year: 2026
gaps:
  - No ionic conductivity value is recorded. The sources print it only as powers of ten (for example 'more than 1×10-6 Scm-1' in the ACS Omega abstract and 1.1 x 10-6 in a LiPON powder-target paper), which the value check cannot match.
  - The full text of the ACS Omega paper (doi 10.1021/acsomega.2c02104) returned HTTP 403 and the PMC copy was blocked, so the substrate temperature below which films stay amorphous, any activation energy and the film thickness were not read.
  - 'Melting point is not settled: ULP and Angstrom Sciences give 837 °C, ProChem gives 1205 °C. No certificate of analysis for a batch was found to decide between them.'
  - Specific gravity 2.537 (ProChem), a molecular weight of 115.9 (PubChem) and 115.79 (ProChem) are printed without units, so they were not recorded as values.
  - Water solubility of 0.027 g/100 mL at 25 °C appears in Wikipedia only; Wikipedia is used here for composition, not for property values, so it was not recorded.
  - Crystal system, space group and lattice constants were not taken from a source fetched in this run (Wikipedia gives Pmn21 and lattice constants without units).
  - No manufacturing or synthesis route was found in the sources fetched in this run, so the recipe line gives composition only.
  - Crustal abundance of lithium and phosphorus was not read in this run (USGS PP 1802-A not fetched).
  - The EU critical raw materials list was not checked in this run; the critical list entries cite the USGS 2025 list only (page dated November 6, 2025).
  - Humidity ageing, thermal stability, electrochemical window and aluminium current-collector compatibility were not found in any source fetched in this run.
  - No space-environment source (vacuum, radiation, thermal cycling, flight data) was found for Li3PO4.
  - The Kurt J Lesker safety data sheet covers lithium phosphorous oxide, a different product, and was not used for hazards or properties.
  - The 82% and 68.1% capacity retention values are for an NCM cathode with and without a Li3PO4 coating, not for pure Li3PO4.
  - Molar mass, water solubility and capacity retention are not in spores/property-canon.yaml; snake_case names were used for them.
sources:
  ulp-li3po4:
    title: Lithium Phosphate Powder (Li3PO4), supplier product page (ULP Materials)
    id: products 03150800PD001 and 03150800PD002
    url: https://ulpmat.com/product/lithium-phosphate-powder/
    kind: web
    license: supplier web page, cited not reproduced
  prochem-page:
    title: Lithium Phosphate, product 2360, supplier product page (ProChem Inc.)
    id: product 2360; CAS 10377-52-3
    url: https://prochemonline.com/product/lithiumphosphate-2360/
    kind: web
    license: supplier web page, cited not reproduced
  prochem-sds:
    title: 'Safety data sheet: Lithium Phosphate, product 2360 (ProChem Inc.)'
    id: product 2360; CAS 10377-52-3
    url: https://prochemonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2360.LithiumPhosphate.pdf
    kind: datasheet
    license: supplier document, linked not reproduced
  angstrom-sds:
    title: 'Safety data sheet: Lithium Phosphate (Angstrom Sciences, Inc.)'
    id: CAS 10377-52-3; EC 233-823-0; date of last revision 07/13/15
    url: https://angstromsciences.com/wp-content/uploads/files/SDS/Lithium%20Phosphate.pdf
    year: 2015
    kind: datasheet
    license: supplier document, linked not reproduced
  ereztech:
    title: Lithium Phosphate, CAS 10377-52-3, supplier product page (Ereztech)
    id: CAS 10377-52-3
    url: https://ereztech.com/product/lithium-phosphate-10377-52-3/
    kind: web
    license: supplier web page, cited not reproduced
  goodfellow:
    title: Lithium Phosphate (Li3PO4) sputtering target, material information (Goodfellow)
    url: https://www.goodfellow.com/usa/resources/lithium-phosphate-li3po4-sputtering-target-material-information/
    kind: web
    license: supplier web page, cited not reproduced
  pubchem-li3po4:
    title: PubChem compound record, Lithium phosphate (CID 165867)
    id: CID 165867; CAS 10377-52-3
    url: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/165867
    kind: database
    license: public domain (NCBI)
  nims-ohnishi2022:
    title: Sputter-Deposited Amorphous Li3PO4 Solid Electrolyte Films (Tsuyoshi Ohnishi and Kazunori Takada, ACS Omega 7, 21199-21206), NIMS data record
    id: doi:10.1021/acsomega.2c02104
    url: https://mdr.nims.go.jp/datasets/3d69d5c5-6502-4edd-ac95-c60a40519d67
    year: 2022
    kind: paper
    license: Creative Commons BY 4.0 (as stated on the NIMS record)
  sci-rep-2021:
    title: Dual function Li-reactive coating from residual lithium on Ni-rich NCM cathode material for Lithium-ion batteries
    id: doi:10.1038/s41598-021-98123-4 (Scientific Reports 11, 18590)
    url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98123-4
    year: 2021
    kind: paper
    license: CC BY 4.0
  usgs-mcs2026-lithium:
    title: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Lithium
    id: USGS MCS 2026, February 2026
    url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-lithium.pdf
    year: 2026
    kind: report
    license: public domain (USGS)
  usgs-mcs2026-phosphate:
    title: Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, Phosphate Rock
    id: USGS MCS 2026, February 2026
    url: https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2026/mcs2026-phosphate.pdf
    year: 2026
    kind: report
    license: public domain (USGS)
  usgs-crit2025:
    title: About the 2025 List of Critical Minerals (USGS), page dated November 6, 2025
    id: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals
    url: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/mineral-resources-program/science/about-2025-list-critical-minerals
    year: 2025
    kind: web
    license: public domain (USGS)
license: CC-BY-4.0
updated: '2026-11-01'
review:
  status: draft
  method: assistant
  checked_values: 14
  unreachable: 2
  caveats: 1
  note: 'Read by an AI assistant on 2026-11-01: 14 values recorded from pages fetched in this run. The ACS Omega page and PMC copy could not be opened (HTTP 403 and a verification page).'
story:
  why: Lithium phosphate (Li3PO4) is a white powder with the formula Li3PO4, made of lithium, phosphorus and oxygen. Its interest for batteries is as the material sputtered to make lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON), a thin-film solid electrolyte. It is also tested as a coating on cathode particles. The sources we hold describe it as a ceramic sputtering target, not as an electrode material.
  uses:
    - where: Thin-film batteries
      line: Lithium phosphate is sold as a high-purity sputtering target. Goodfellow says reactive sputtering in nitrogen makes LiPON films with enhanced properties.
    - where: Cathode coatings (research)
      line: A 2021 study in Scientific Reports coated Ni-rich LiNi0.91Co0.06Mn0.03O2 cathode powder with 0.1 mol.% Li3PO4. The coated cathode kept 82% of its capacity after 100 cycles, against 68.1% for the uncoated cathode.
  can_do:
    - label: Conduction in thin films
      line: 'Amorphous films are the form that conducts ions. The NIMS record of the 2022 ACS Omega paper quotes the abstract: crystallization of Li3PO4 impedes ionic conduction. No conductivity value is recorded here, because the sources print it only as a power of ten.'
    - label: Purity offered
      value: 99.99%
      benchmark: assay_purity
      line: Suppliers list lithium phosphate at 99.99% assay (ULP and Ereztech). ULP also lists a 99.9% grade.
  compare: 'Li3PO4 is not described by the sources as a cathode and it does not carry charge as an electrode. In the sources we hold it is a solid electrolyte precursor and a coating. Its supplier data agree on density, with 2.54 g/cm3 from ULP and 2.537 g/cc from the Angstrom Sciences SDS. The melting point conflicts: 837 °C from ULP and Angstrom Sciences, against 1205 °C from ProChem.'
  compare_rows:
    - label: Density
      benchmark: density
    - label: Melting point
      benchmark: melting_point
    - label: Molar mass
      benchmark: molar_mass
  handling:
    - Avoid dust and swallowing. The sources give it as harmful if swallowed (H302) and as an irritant of skin, eyes and airways (H315, H319, H335).
    - The 2015 Angstrom Sciences SDS classes it as toxic if swallowed (H301). Treat it as toxic until the batch's own SDS has been read.
    - After swallowing, rinse the mouth and do not induce vomiting, according to the ProChem SDS.
  good_for:
    - Thin-film battery research, where the material is sputtered to make LiPON electrolyte films (Goodfellow).
    - Cathode coating experiments, where a 0.1 mol.% Li3PO4 layer raised capacity retention (Scientific Reports, 2021).
  watch_out:
    - Crystallized Li3PO4 conducts ions poorly, and the sputtering conditions decide whether the film stays amorphous.
    - The two supplier data sheets give melting points of 837 °C and 1205 °C, so confirm the value on the batch certificate.
    - 'Hazard classes differ: Harmful if swallowed (H302) in most sources, but Toxic if swallowed (H301) in the 2015 Angstrom Sciences SDS.'
  verdict: A sourced lithium compound for LiPON film and coating research. Ionic conductivity and the melting point are not settled by the sources we hold.
  recipe:
    line: 'Li3PO4 is trilithium phosphate: three lithium atoms for each phosphate group, which is one phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms. The sources fetched in this run do not describe how it is made, so no process is given.'
    parts:
      - name: Lithium
        symbol: Li
        atoms: 3
        atomic_weight: 6.94
        role: Lithium ions, the charge carriers that the thin-film electrolyte and coating depend on.
      - name: Phosphorus
        symbol: P
        atoms: 1
        atomic_weight: 30.974
        role: Centre of the phosphate group that forms the rigid framework of the solid.
      - name: Oxygen
        symbol: O
        atoms: 4
        atomic_weight: 15.999
        role: Completes the phosphate group (PO4).
  risk_groups:
    - title: For people
      level: 2
      verdict: Harmful if swallowed; irritant
      lead: Most sources agree on harmful if swallowed and on irritation. One 2015 SDS gives a more severe class.
      points:
        - label: Ingestion
          line: PubChem's GHS summary gives H302 Harmful if swallowed for 100% of notifications, and the ProChem SDS agrees.
        - label: Skin, eyes and airways
          line: H315 Causes skin irritation, H319 Causes serious eye irritation and H335 May cause respiratory irritation appear in PubChem and the ProChem SDS.
        - label: Conflicting class
          line: The Angstrom Sciences SDS, revised 07/13/15, gives the signal word Danger and H301 Toxic if swallowed.
    - title: If it burns
      lead: The ProChem SDS lists the decomposition products in a fire.
      points:
        - label: Decomposition
          line: Hazardous combustion and decomposition products are oxides of phosphorus and lithium oxides.