  The surface film formed upon Mg-Li(-Al-Y-Zr) following aqueous immersion and
air-exposure was investigated. This alloy (which contains 30.3 at. % Li)
possesses a bcc crystal structure and has been reported as being corrosion
resistant. It was determined that the principal components of the surface film
were Li2CO3 and Mg(OH)2 as characterised by grazing incidence X-ray diffraction
(GIXRD). The detection of hcp grains near the alloy surface was observed by
GIXRD and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The spatial distribution
of Li and Mg in the surface film was characterised by electron energy loss
spectroscopy (EELS) and the distribution of other major elements in the alloy
was characterised by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and
energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS). It was observed that Li was
distributed throughout the alloy surface film and with an elevated
concentration in the so-called outer layer.
