Experimental Corroboration of Lithium Orthothioborate Superionic Conductor by Systematic Elemental Manipulation.

The Li superionic conductor Li3BS3 has been theoretically predicted as an ideal solid electrolyte (SE) due to its low Li+ migration energy barrier and high ionic conductivity. However, the experimentally synthesized Li3BS3 has a 104 times lower ionic conductivity. Herein, we investigate the effect of a series of cation and anion substitutions in Li3BS3 SE on its ionic conductivity, including Li3-xM0.05BS3 (M = Cu, Zn, Sn, P, W, x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.25), Li3-yBS2.95X0.05 (X = O, Cl, Br, I, y = 0.05, 0.1) and Li2.75-xP0.05BS3-xClx (x = 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6). Amorphous ionic conductor Li2.55P0.05BS2.8Cl0.2 has a high ion conductivity of 0.52 mS cm-1 at room temperature with an activation energy of 0.41 eV. The electrochemical performance of all-solid-state batteries with Li2.55P0.05BS2.8Cl0.2 SEs show stable cycling with a discharge capacity retention of >97% after 200 cycles at 1C under 55 °C.

Monolithic Titanium Alkoxide Networks for Lithium-Ion Conductive All-Solid-State Electrolytes.

Reticular chemistry provides opportunities to design solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) with modular tunability. However, SSEs based on modularly designed crystalline metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) often require liquid electrolytes for interfacial contact. Monolithic glassy MOFs can have liquid processability and uniform lithium conduction, which is promising for the reticular design of SSE without liquid electrolytes. Here, we develop a generalizable strategy for the modular design of noncrystalline SSEs based on a bottom-up synthesis of glassy MOFs. We demonstrate such a strategy by linking polyethylene glycol (PEG) struts and nanosized titanium-oxo clusters into network structures termed titanium alkoxide networks (TANs). The modular design allows the incorporation of PEG linkers with different molecular weights, which give optimal chain flexibility for high ionic conductivity, and the reticular coordinative network provides a controlled degree of cross-linking that gives adequate mechanical strength. This research shows the power of reticular design in noncrystalline molecular framework materials for SSEs.

Syntheses and Characterization of Novel Perovskite-Type LaScO3-Based Lithium Ionic Conductors.

Perovskite-type lithium ionic conductors were explored in the (LixLa1-x/3)ScO3 system following their syntheses via a high-pressure solid-state reaction. Phase identification indicated that a solid solution with a perovskite-type structure was formed in the range 0 ≤ x < 0.6. When x = 0.45, (Li0.45La0.85)ScO3 exhibited the highest ionic conductivity and a low activation energy. Increasing the loading of lithium as an ionic diffusion carrier expanded the unit cell volume and contributed to the higher ionic conductivity and lower activation energy. Cations with higher oxidation numbers were introduced into the A/B sites to improve the ionic conductivity. Ce4+ and Zr4+ or Nb5+ dopants partially substituted the A-site (La/Li) and B-site Sc, respectively. Although B-site doping produced a lower ionic conductivity, A-site Ce4+ doping improved the conductive properties. A perovskite-type single phase was obtained for (Li0.45La0.78Ce0.05)ScO3 upon Ce4+ doping, providing a higher ionic conductivity than (Li0.45La0.85)ScO3. Compositional analysis and crystal-structure refinement of (Li0.45La0.85)ScO3 and (Li0.45La0.78Ce0.05)ScO3 revealed increased lithium contents and expansion of the unit cell upon Ce4+ co-doping. The highest ionic conductivity of 1.1 × 10-3 S cm-1 at 623 K was confirmed for (Li0.4Ce0.15La0.67)ScO3, which is more than one order of magnitude higher than that of the (LixLa1-x/3)ScO3 system.

Enhanced Surface Chemical and Structural Stability of Ni-Rich Cathode Materials by Synchronous Lithium-Ion Conductor Coating for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Ni-rich cathode materials LiNixCoyMn1-x-yO2 (x ≥ 0.6) have attracted much attention due to their high capacity and low cost. However, they usually suffer from rapid capacity decay and short cycle life due to their surface/interface instability, accompanied by the high Ni content. In this work, with the Ni0.9Co0.05Mn0.05(OH)2 precursor serving as a coating target, a Li-ion conductor Li2SiO3 layer was uniformly coated on Ni-rich cathode material LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 by a precoating and syn-lithiation method. The uniform Li2SiO3 coating layer not only improves the Li-ion diffusion kinetics of the electrode but also reduces mechanical microstrain and stabilizes the surface chemistry and structure with a strong Si-O covalent bond. These results will provide further in-depth understanding on the surface chemistry and structure stabilization mechanisms of Ni-rich cathode materials and help to develop high-capacity cathode materials for next-generation high-energy-density Li-ion batteries.

Poly(ethylene oxide)-Li10SnP2S12 Composite Polymer Electrolyte Enables High-Performance All-Solid-State Lithium Sulfur Battery.

Composite polymer electrolyte membranes are fabricated by the incorporation of Li10SnP2S12 into the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) matrix using a solution-casting method. The incorporation of Li10SnP2S12 plays a positive role on Li-ionic conductivity, mechanical property, and interfacial stability of the composite electrolyte and thus significantly enhances the electrochemical performance of the solid-state Li-S battery. The optimal PEO-1%Li10SnP2S12 electrolyte presents a maximum ionic conductivity of 1.69 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 50 °C and the highest mechanical strength. The possible mechanism for the enhanced electrochemical performance and mechanical property is analyzed. The uniform distribution of Li10SnP2S12 in the PEO matrix inhibits crystallization and weakens the interactions among the PEO chains. The PEO-1%Li10SnP2S12 electrolyte exhibits lower interfacial resistance and higher interfacial stability with the lithium anode than the pure PEO/LiTFSI electrolyte. The Li-S cell comprising the PEO-1%Li10SnP2S12 electrolyte exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance with a high discharge capacity (ca. 1000 mA h g-1), high Coulombic efficiency, and good cycling stability at 60 °C. Most importantly, the PEO-1%Li10SnP2S12-based cell possesses attractive performance with a high specific capacity (ca. 800 mA h g-1) and good cycling stability even at 50 °C, whereas the PEO/LiTFSI-based cell cannot be successfully discharged because of the low ionic conductivity and high interfacial resistance of the PEO/LiTFSI electrolyte.

Highly Stretchable and Transparent Double-Network Hydrogel Ionic Conductors as Flexible Thermal-Mechanical Dual Sensors and Electroluminescent Devices.

The latest generation flexible devices feature materials that are conductive, highly stretchable, and transparent to meet the requirements of a reliable performance. However, the existing conductors are mostly electronic conductors, which cannot satisfy these high-performance challenges. A robust hydrogel ionic conductor was rapidly fabricated with a facile one-pot approach by employing bioinspired agar with a physically cross-linked network, polyacrylamide (PAM) with a photoinitiated cross-linked network under appropriate UV intensity, and Li+ as conductive ions. The resulting Li+/agar/PAM ionic double-network hydrogels could be fabricated into various shapes through injection. The unique ionic hydrogel showed a remarkable stretchability with over 1600% extension, high tension/compression strength (0.22 MPa/3.5 MPa), and toughness (2.2 MJ/m3). Furthermore, it was demonstrated to possess dual sensory capabilities through the combination of both temperature and mechanical deformation. This hydrogel ionic conductor exhibited high stretching sensitivity with a gauge factor of 1.8 at strain 1100% and bending sensitivity in a broad angle range of 30-150°, respectively. Such highly optical transparency and elasticity endow the hydrogel-phosphor composites with promising luminescent properties. The multifunctional ionic hydrogel can be used as soft conductors for application in flexible devices such as ionic skin for wearable sensors and luminescence display.

Cation Mixing Properties toward Co Diffusion at the LiCoO2 Cathode/Sulfide Electrolyte Interface in a Solid-State Battery.

All-solid-state Li-ion batteries (ASS-LIBs) are expected to be the next-generation battery, however, their large interfacial resistance hinders their widespread application. To understand and resolve the possible causes of this resistance, we examined mutual diffusion properties of the cation elements at LiCoO2 (LCO) cathode/ß-Li3PS4 (LPS) solid electrolyte interface as a representative system as well as the effect of a LiNbO3 buffer layer by first-principles calculations. Evaluating energies of exchanging ions between the cathode and the electrolyte, we found that the mixing of Co and P is energetically preferable to the unmixed states at the LCO/LPS interface. We also demonstrated that the interposition of the buffer layer suppresses such mixing because the exchange of Co and Nb is energetically unfavorable. Detailed analyses of the defect levels and the exchange energies by using the individual bulk crystals as well as the interfaces suggest that the lower interfacial states in the energy gap can make a major contribution to the stabilization of the Co ↔ P exchange, although the anion bonding preference of Co and P as well as the electrostatic interactions may have effects as well. Finally, the Co ↔ P exchanges induce interfacial Li sites with low chemical potentials, which enhance the growth of the Li depletion layer. These atomistic understandings can be meaningful for the development of ASS-LIBs with smaller interfacial resistances.

Theoretical study of lithium ionic conductors by electronic stress tensor density and electronic kinetic energy density.

We analyze the electronic structure of lithium ionic conductors, Li3PO4 and Li3PS4, using the electronic stress tensor density and kinetic energy density with special focus on the ionic bonds among them. We find that, as long as we examine the pattern of the eigenvalues of the electronic stress tensor density, we cannot distinguish between the ionic bonds and bonds among metalloid atoms. We then show that they can be distinguished by looking at the morphology of the electronic interface, the zero surface of the electronic kinetic energy density. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Origin of Outstanding Stability in the Lithium Solid Electrolyte Materials: Insights from Thermodynamic Analyses Based on First-Principles Calculations.

First-principles calculations were performed to investigate the electrochemical stability of lithium solid electrolyte materials in all-solid-state Li-ion batteries. The common solid electrolytes were found to have a limited electrochemical window. Our results suggest that the outstanding stability of the solid electrolyte materials is not thermodynamically intrinsic but is originated from kinetic stabilizations. The sluggish kinetics of the decomposition reactions cause a high overpotential leading to a nominally wide electrochemical window observed in many experiments. The decomposition products, similar to the solid-electrolyte-interphases, mitigate the extreme chemical potential from the electrodes and protect the solid electrolyte from further decompositions. With the aid of the first-principles calculations, we revealed the passivation mechanism of these decomposition interphases and quantified the extensions of the electrochemical window from the interphases. We also found that the artificial coating layers applied at the solid electrolyte and electrode interfaces have a similar effect of passivating the solid electrolyte. Our newly gained understanding provided general principles for developing solid electrolyte materials with enhanced stability and for engineering interfaces in all-solid-state Li-ion batteries.

Low temperature biosynthesis of Li2O-MgO-P2O5-TiO2 nanocrystalline glass with mesoporous structure exhibiting fast lithium ion conduction.

We demonstrate a biomimetic synthesis methodology that allows us to create Li2O-MgO-P2O5-TiO2 nanocrystalline glass with mesoporous structure at lower temperature. We design a 'nanocrystal-glass' configuration to build a nanoarchitecture by means of yeast cell templates self-assembly followed by the controlled in-situ biomineralization of materials on the cell wall. Electrochemically active nanocrystals are used as the lamellar building blocks of mesopores, and the semiconductive glass phase can act both as the 'glue' between nanocrystals and functionalized component. The Li2O-MgO-P2O5-TiO2 nanocrystalline glass exhibits outstanding thermal stability, high conductivity and wide potential window. This approach could be applied to many other multicomponent glass-ceramics to fabricate mesoporous conducting materials for solid-state lithium batteries.