Abstract
Detailed expermental studies of theelectronic structure of the valence and conduction bands of the mixed conductor $\beta$-LiAlindicate that a quasi-gap opens at the Fermi level, and the conduction states are highlylocalized, as opposed to the theoretical band structure calculations that predict predominant metallic behavior. Evidence for complex lithium migration effects involving the surface of Lial , induced by particle (electron or ion) bombardment and mechanical treatment , has been obtained as a byproduct of these experiments.