RESUMEN
Lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) is an amorphous solid electrolyte that has been extensively studied over the last three decades. Despite the promise of pairing it with various electrode materials, LiPON's rigidity and air sensitivity set limitations to understanding its intrinsic properties. Here we report a methodology to synthesize LiPON in a free-standing form that manifests remarkable flexibility and a Young's modulus of â¼33 GPa. We use solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and differential scanning calorimetry to quantitatively reveal the chemistry of the Li/LiPON interface and the presence of a well-defined LiPON glass-transition temperature of 207 °C. Combining interfacial stress and a gold seeding layer, our free-standing LiPON shows a uniformly dense deposition of lithium metal without the aid of external pressure. This free-standing LiPON film offers opportunities to study fundamental properties of LiPON for interface engineering for solid-state batteries.
RESUMEN
The development of silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries has been largely impeded by poor interfacial stability against liquid electrolytes. Here, we enabled the stable operation of a 99.9 weight % microsilicon anode by using the interface passivating properties of sulfide solid electrolytes. Bulk and surface characterization, and quantification of interfacial components, showed that such an approach eliminates continuous interfacial growth and irreversible lithium losses. Microsilicon full cells were assembled and found to achieve high areal current density, wide operating temperature range, and high areal loadings for the different cells. The promising performance can be attributed to both the desirable interfacial property between microsilicon and sulfide electrolytes and the distinctive chemomechanical behavior of the lithium-silicon alloy.