Fast Li-Ion Conduction in Spinel-Structured Solids

oleh: Jan L. Allen, Bria A. Crear, Rishav Choudhury, Michael J. Wang, Dat T. Tran, Lin Ma, Philip M. Piccoli, Jeff Sakamoto, Jeff Wolfenstine

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-04-01

Deskripsi

Spinel-structured solids were studied to understand if fast Li<sup>+</sup> ion conduction can be achieved with Li occupying multiple crystallographic sites of the structure to form a “Li-stuffed” spinel, and if the concept is applicable to prepare a high mixed electronic-ionic conductive, electrochemically active solid solution of the Li<sup>+</sup> stuffed spinel with spinel-structured Li-ion battery electrodes. This could enable a single-phase fully solid electrode eliminating multi-phase interface incompatibility and impedance commonly observed in multi-phase solid electrolyte–cathode composites. Materials of composition Li<sub>1.25</sub>M(III)<sub>0.25</sub>TiO<sub>4</sub>, M(III) = Cr or Al were prepared through solid-state methods. The room-temperature bulk Li<sup>+</sup>-ion conductivity is 1.63 × 10<sup>−4</sup> S cm<sup>−1</sup> for the composition Li<sub>1.25</sub>Cr<sub>0.25</sub>Ti<sub>1.5</sub>O<sub>4</sub>. Addition of Li<sub>3</sub>BO<sub>3</sub> (LBO) increases ionic and electronic conductivity reaching a bulk Li<sup>+</sup> ion conductivity averaging 6.8 × 10<sup>−4</sup> S cm<sup>−1</sup>, a total Li-ion conductivity averaging 4.2 × 10<sup>−4</sup> S cm<sup>−1</sup>, and electronic conductivity averaging 3.8 × 10<sup>−4</sup> S cm<sup>−1</sup> for the composition Li<sub>1.25</sub>Cr<sub>0.25</sub>Ti<sub>1.5</sub>O<sub>4</sub> with 1 wt. % LBO. An electrochemically active solid solution of Li<sub>1.25</sub>Cr<sub>0.25</sub>Mn<sub>1.5</sub>O<sub>4</sub> and LiNi<sub>0.5</sub>Mn<sub>1.5</sub>O<sub>4</sub> was prepared. This work proves that Li-stuffed spinels can achieve fast Li-ion conduction and that the concept is potentially useful to enable a single-phase fully solid electrode without interphase impedance.