Lithium oxide (Li2O) or lithia is an inorganic chemical compound.
Lithium oxide is used as a flux in ceramic glazes; and creates blues with copper and pinks with cobalt.
Its usage is also being investigated for non-destructive emission spectroscopy evaluation and degradation monitoring within thermal barrier coating systems.
At high heat, lithium oxide emits a very detectable spectral pattern, which increases in intensity along with degradation of the coating.
Implementation would allow in situ monitoring of such systems, enabling an efficient means to predict lifetime until failure or necessary maintenance.