Crystal structure of cubic Li7-3xGaxLa3Zr2O12 with space group of I-43d

Cubic Li_7-3xGa_xLa₃Zr₂O₁₂ is a cubic phase with a space group of I-43d instead of Ia-3d. This structure is more conducive to the migration of lithium ions. However, the effect of Ga on the size and environment of lithium ion transport channels has not been researched. In this work, Li_7-3xGa_xLa₃Zr₂O₁₂ (x = 0–0.25) was formulated, and the crystal structure was obtained by neutron diffraction. The results indicated that the minimum channel size to control Li⁺ migration in LLZO was the bottleneck size between the Li2 and Li3 sites (bottleneck size 2), and compared with lanthanum ions, the zirconium ions were closer to lithium ions. As the Ga content increased, bottleneck size 2 levelled off, while the lithium concentration and the distance between skeleton ions and lithium ions decreased. As a result, the lithium ionic conductivity primarily increased and then decreased. When doping 0.2 pfu of Ga, LLZO exhibited the highest lithium ionic conductivity of 1.45 mS/cm at 25 °C due to the coordinated regulation of Li⁺ concentration, bottleneck size, and the distance between skeleton ions and lithium ions.     

石榴石型固态电解质Li7La3Zr2O12的改性研究现状

固态电解质是高安全性、高能量密度的全固态锂电池的核心部件,其典型代表Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂(LLZO)具有高离子电导率、高机械强度、高电化学稳定性、低界面阻抗以及对锂金属负极良好的稳定性等优势,是科研人员重点关注的对象之一,但与液态电解质相比,目前LLZO仍存在低离子电导率和与电极固-固界面接触等问题。本文主要简介了LLZO的晶体结构、改性方式等对其离子电导率及界面阻抗的影响,同时对LLZO现存的问题进行了总结,对LLZO的未来发展方向进行了展望,为探索全固态锂电池的实际生产应用提供理论指导。     

Rapid low‐temperature synthesis of tetragonal single‐phase Li7La3Zr2O12

The formation of Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZ), a Li ion conducting oxide with a garnet‐type crystal structure, from a powder mixture of Li₂CO₃, La(OH)₃, and ZrO₂ was investigated, and two possible reaction pathways were identified. Based on the obtained results, LLZ was synthesized at low temperatures and short reaction times, using Li₂CO₃, La(OH)₃, and La₂Zr₂O₇ (instead of ZrO₂) as starting materials. According to the proposed method, single‐phase LLZ was obtained by heating the initial mixture to 800°C for 1 hour in air, which eliminated possible Li losses. The produced LLZ species exhibited a tetragonal crystal structure with the lattice parameters a=1.3189(3) nm and c=1.2694(1) nm, while their transmission electron microscopy images confirmed that LLZ formation occurred through the dissolution of La₂Zr₂O₇ and La(OH)₃ in a Li₂CO₃ melt followed by LLZ precipitation from solution.     

固态无机电解质Li7La3Zr2O12的改性研究进展

作为一种固态无机电解质材料,石榴石型立方相Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂具有较高的室温锂离子电导率、较宽的电化学窗口和优良的热稳定性等特点,是高安全性、高能量密度固态锂离子电池实现商业化应用的关键。阐述了Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂的晶体结构与锂传导机理,综述了元素掺杂、聚合物电解质复合、烧结助剂引入、表面包覆或修饰等方式对Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂的物相结构稳定性、界面阻抗与相容性、烧结活性、离子电导率等进行改性的最新研究进展。最后,针对Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂在产业化应用中所面临的障碍与挑战,提出了制备新工艺的开发、离子电导率的多重改性以及柔性复合电解质膜的结构设计与优化等应对策略,为推动高性能固态锂离子电池的发展提供依据。     

Ta、Ba共掺杂石榴石型Li7La3Zr2O12电解质的制备及性能研究

传统锂离子电池采用有机电解液体系,能量密度难以进一步提升,同时存在一定的安全隐患。采用无机固体电解质构建全固态锂电池,在提高电池能量密度同时可兼顾安全性问题。在众多无机固体电解质中,Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂(LLZO)石榴石电解质具有离子电导率高、与金属锂接触稳定等优势,成为受人关注的材料。为了进一步提高该材料的导电性,采用固相法合成Ta、Ba共掺杂LLZO(Li_7-x+yLa_3-yBa_yZr_2-xTa_xO₁₂)电解质,采用X射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜和电化学阻抗法分析样品的物相结构、微观形貌及离子电导率。结果表明,Ta⁵⁺掺杂能够稳定立方相结构,Ba²⁺作为掺杂剂和烧结剂,促进晶粒生长和陶瓷致密化,从而降低总电阻。其中,Li_6.45La_2.95Ba_0.05Zr_1.4Ta_0.6O₁₂样品在室温下的总电导率为1.07×10^-3 S·cm^-1,活化能为0.378 eV。Ta⁵⁺/Ba²⁺共掺杂有利于制备高致密度和高电导率的石榴石型电解质材料。     

Effects of B2O3 on microstructure and ionic conductivity of Li6.5La3Zr1.5Nb0.5O12 solid electrolyte

Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Nb_0.5O₁₂ (LLZN) garnet-type structure was synthesized at low temperature with B₂O₃ addition by solid state reaction method. The effects of B₂O₃ content on the formation, microstructure, ionic conductivity and activation energy of the LLZN solid electrolytes have been investigated by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and alternate current (AC) impedance spectroscopy. The cubic LLZN phase was obtained after calcining at 850 °C for 6 h and no phase evolution was observed after sintering at 1100 °C for 6 h. The relative density and lithium ion conductivity increased first and then decreased with increasing B₂O₃ content, reaching the maximum value of 92.4% and 1.86×10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ respectively in the sample with 1.4 wt% B₂O₃. By contrast, the activation energy reached a minimum value of ~31.5 kJ mol⁻¹.     

Dense freeze-cast Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolytes with oriented open porosity and contiguous ceramic scaffold

Freeze casting is used for the first time to prepare solid electrolyte scaffolds with oriented porosity and dense ceramic walls made of Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO), one of the most promising candidates for solid-state battery electrolytes. Processing parameters—such as solvent solidification rate, solvent type, and ceramic particle size—are investigated, focusing on their influence on porosity and ceramic wall density. Dendrite-like porosity is obtained when using cyclohexane and dioxane as solvents. Lamellar porosity is observed in aqueous slurries resulting in a structure with the highest apparent porosity and densest ceramic scaffold but weakest mechanical properties due to the lack of interlamellar support. The use of smaller LLZO particle size in the slurries resulted in lower porosity and denser ceramic walls. The intrinsic ionic conductivity of the oriented LLZ ceramic scaffold is unaffected by the freeze casting technique, providing a promising ceramic scaffold for polymer infill in view of designing new types of ceramic-polymer composites.     

Effect of Li2O excess in Li6.4Ga0.2La3Zr2O12 electrolyte for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries

Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ is a promising material used as solid electrolyte in all-solid-state lithium batteries. However, the lithium ionic conductivity of LLZO is limited, and the cycling stability of lithium symmetric battery based on LLZO is not good. In this research, different Ga-doped LLZO samples were prepared by adding different excess amounts of Li₂O, and the effect of excess amount of Li₂O on the structure and performance of LLZO have been researched. The results show that with the rise of the amount of Li₂O, the lithium ionic concentration increases gradually, and the lithium ionic conductivity and the ratio of grain resistance to total resistance rise first and then drop. When the excess amount of Li₂O is 10 wt.%, the sample exhibits the highest lithium ionic conductivity of 1.36 mS/cm, and the lithium symmetric battery exhibits the most stable operation.     

湿化学法制备石榴石型固态电解质Li7La3Zr2O12

锂电池因能量密度高、循环寿命长、绿色清洁等特点被广泛应用,但其液态电解质易泄漏、挥发,且隔膜易被锂枝晶刺穿造成短路,引发危险。固态电解质大多是不具燃烧性的无机材料,室温下离子电导率较高、电化学窗口宽且适用温度范围广。因此,采用固态电解质替代液态电解质具有十分重要的意义。相对于其他类型固态电解质,石榴石型氧化物Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂（LLZO）具有离子电导率高、电化学窗口宽（>5V vs. Li/Li⁺）、对锂稳定性好和热稳定性高等特点,是非常具有发展潜力的无机固态电解质。本文采用溶胶-凝胶法和低温燃烧法两种湿化学法合成LLZO粉末,对应的电解质片在40℃时的离子电导率分别为1.22×10^-5S/cm和3.87×10^-6S/cm,活化能分别为0.34eV和0.32eV。从实验结果综合比较,溶胶-凝胶法为最佳制备方法。     

Phase transformation and grain-boundary segregation in Al-Doped Li7La3Zr2O12 ceramics

Cubic phase garnet-type Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) is a promising solid electrolyte for highly safe Li-ion batteries. Al-doped LLZO (Al-LLZO) has been widely studied due to the low cost of Al₂O₃. The reported ionic conductivities were variable due to the complicated Al³⁺-Li⁺ substitution and Li_xAlO_y segregation in Al-LLZO ceramics. This work prepared Li_7?3xAl_xLa₃Zr₂O₁₂ (x = 0.00~0.40) ceramics via a conventional solid-state reaction method. The AC impedance and corresponding distribution of relaxation times (DRT) were analyzed combined with phase transformation, cross-sectional microstructure evolution, and grain boundary element mapping results for these Al-LLZO ceramics to understand the various ionic transportation levels in LLZO with different Al-doping amounts. The low conductivity in low Al-doped (0.12~0.28) LLZO originates from the slow Li⁺ ion migration (1.4~0.25 μs) in the cubic-tetragonal mixed phase. On the other hand, LiAlO₂ and LaAlO₃ segregation occur at the grain boundaries of high Al-doped (0.40) LLZO, resulting in a gradual Li⁺ ion jump (6.5 μs) over grain boundaries and low ionic conductivity. The Li_6.04Al_0.32La₃Zr₂O₁₂ ceramic delivers the optimum Li⁺ ion conductivity of 1.7 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 at 25 °C.     

Processing and characterization of an Li7La3Zr0.5Nb0.5Ta0.5Hf0.5O12 high-entropy Li–garnet electrolyte

In this paper, we demonstrated the processing of Li₇La₃Zr_0.5Nb_0.5Ta_0.5Hf_0.5O₁₂ (LLZNTH) high-entropy Li–garnet with promising properties for lithium batteries. We first synthesized the LLZNTH Li–garnet powders which have a single cubic garnet phase (space group: $\text{◂⋅▸}Ia\overline{3}d$; No. 230) without any secondary phases as well as uniform elements distributions. The prepared powders were further densified to a relative density of ∼94% with well-crystallized grains and good contact with the neighboring grains. Minimal grain growth can be observed in the sintering time range from 8 to 20 h, which is likely due to the sluggish effects of high-entropy compounds. The sample also maintains the cubic garnet phase along with uniform elements distribution after sintering. Electrochemical characterizations indicate that the densified sample has an adequate ionic conductivity of 4.67 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature, a low activation energy of 0.25 eV, and a low electronic conductivity in the order of 10⁻⁸ S cm⁻¹. The significance of designing high-entropy electrolyte is further discussed.     

Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte sintered by the ultrafast high-temperature method

All-solid-state Li batteries (ASSLBs) are regarded as the systems of choice for future electrochemical energy storage. Particularly, the garnet Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) is one of the most promising solid electrolytes due to its stability against Li metal. However, its integration into ASSLBs is challenging due to high temperature and long dwell time required for sintering. Advanced sintering techniques, such as Ultrafast High-temperature Sintering, have shown to significantly increase the sintering rate. Direct contact to graphite heaters allows sintering of LLZO within 10 s due to extremely high heating rates (up to 10⁴ K min^?1) and temperatures up to 1500 °C to a density around 80 %. The LLZO sintered in vacuum and Ar atmosphere has good mechanical stability and high phase purity, but kinetic de-mixing at the grain boundaries was observed. Nevertheless, the Li-ion conductivity of 1 mS cm^?1 at 80 °C was comparable to conventional sintering, but lower than for Field-Assisted Sintering Technique/Spark Plasma Sintering.     

The structure and electrical properties of lithium doped pyrochlore Gd2Zr2O7

The lithium-doped phases Gd_1.7Li_0.3Zr₂O_6.7 and Gd₂Zr_1.7Li_0.3O_6.55 with a pyrochlore structure were prepared by the modified Pechini method using citric acid and glycerol. Monitoring of the lithium content by using a nuclear microanalysis showed that a significant loss of lithium occurred after heat treatment above 1200 °C. Dense ceramics with a stoichiometric lithium content can be prepared by a low temperature microwave sintering (1100 °C). The introduction of lithium in the Gd-sublattice was accompanied by a decrease in the unit cell parameter (a = 10.5208 (1) Å vs 10.5346 (2) Å for Gd₂Zr₂O₇) and during doping at the Zr-sites with lithium, the cell parameter increased (10.5720 (1) Å). The doping in both cases led to an increase in the free cell volume. The impedance spectroscopy results showed that the bulk conductivity can be enhanced by the Li⁺-doping at the Gd³⁺-site by almost an order of magnitude. The sample Gd₂Zr_1.7Li_0.3O_6.55 had a conductivity lower than that of Gd_1.7Li_0.3Zr₂O_6.7 due to the possible trapping of oxygen vacancies by a high-charged acceptor defect LiZr???. The conductivity?pO₂ measurements showed that the Li-containing phase was a pure oxide-ion conductor at T < 800 °C.     

Synthesis of Ga-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte with high Li+ ion conductivity

Garnet-type Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) Li⁺ ion solid electrolyte is a promising candidate for next generation high-safety solid-state batteries. Ga-doped LLZO exhibits excellent Li⁺ ion conductivity, higher than 1 × 10^?3 S cm^?1. In this research, the doping amount of Ga, the calcination temperature of Ga-LLZO primary powders, the sintering conditions and the evolution of grains are explored to demonstrate the optimum parameters to obtain a highly conductive ceramics reproducibly via conventional solid-state reaction methods under ambient air sintering atmosphere. Cubic LLZO phase is obtained for Li_6.4Ga_0.2La₃Zr₂O₁₂ powder calcined at low temperature 850 °C. In addition, ceramic pellets sintered at 1100 °C for 320 min using this powder have relative densities higher than 94% and conductivities higher than 1.2 × 10^?3 S cm^?1 at 25 °C.     

High Li-ion conductivity of Al-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 synthesized by solid-state reaction

Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) has cubic garnet type structure and is a promising solid electrolyte for next-generation Li-ion batteries. In this work, Al-doped LLZO was prepared via conventional solid-state reaction. The effects of sintering temperature and Al doping content on the structure and Li-ion conductivity of LLZO were investigated. The phase composition of the products was confirmed to be cubic LLZO via XRD. The morphology and chemical composition of calcined powders were investigated with SEM, EDS, and TEM. The Li-ion conductivity was measured by AC impedance. The results indicated the optimum sintering temperature range is 800–950 °C, the appropriate molar ratio of LiOH·H₂O, La(OH)₃, ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃ is 7.7:3:2:(0.2–0.4), and the Li-ion conductivity of LLZO sintered at 900 °C with 0.3 mol of Al-doped was 2.11×10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 25 °C.     

LiOH对Ta掺杂石榴石型Li7La3Zr2O12固体电解质的影响

通过固相法制备Ta掺杂Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂（Ta-LLZO）陶瓷,以LiOH为锂源合成Ta-LLZO粉末,并以LiOH为助烧剂制备Ta-LLZO陶瓷,研究了LiOH对Ta-LLZO陶瓷的组织结构和离子电导率的影响。结果表明：以LiOH为锂源可促进立方相Ta-LLZO的生成。同时,以LiOH为助烧剂,可有效促进陶瓷的致密化,在1 200℃烧结5 h可获得致密的立方相Ta-LLZO陶瓷。当助烧剂的添加量为6%（质量分数）时,陶瓷的离子电导率可达6.23×10^-4 S?cm^-1。可见,固相法制备的Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂在全固态锂离子电池中具有广阔的应用前景。     

Rapid synthesis of garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 solid electrolyte with superior electrochemical performance

Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂-based garnet-type solid electrolytes are promising candidates for use in all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs). However, their potential in large-scale commercial applications is largely hindered by the time/energy-consuming and lithium-wasting synthetic method which typically needs a long-duration high temperature solid state reaction process. Herein we invent a fast preparation route that involves a short-period thermal reaction (1100 °C for 10 min) in laboratory muffle furnaces following by conventional hot pressing technique to get almost fully dense (Al, Ga, Ta, Nb)-doped garnet-type electrolytes with high phase purity (>99.9 %). The large and compact grains, low porosity and high phase purities of garnet ceramic electrolytes synthesized in this study ensure superior electrochemical performance. Particularly, Ga-doped cubic Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ shows extremely low E_a values (0.17?0.18 eV) and record-high lithium ionic conductivities (>2 × 10^?3 S cm^-1 at 25 °C).     

Improving the Li-ion conductivity and air stability of cubic Li7La3Zr2O12 by the co-doping of Nb,Y on the Zr site

The elements Nb and Y were simultaneously substituted to the Zr sites of an Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) electrolyte to improve its Li-ion conductivity and air stability. Samples of Li₇La₃Zr_2-2xNb_xY_xO₁₂ were fabricated using a solid-state reaction method. The results show that the introduction of Nb and Y can stabilise cubic-phase LLZO. The total conductivity of Li₇La₃ZrNb_0.5Y_0.5O₁₂ electrolyte can reach 8.29 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 at 30 °C when sintered at 1230 °C for only 15 h. Surprisingly, the conductivity of Li₇La₃ZrNb_0.5Y_0.5O₁₂ can be maintained at 6.91 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 after exposure to air for 1.5 months, indicating excellent air stability. Furthermore, a LiFePO₄/Li₇La₃ZrNb_0.5Y_0.5O₁₂/Li cell displayed stable charge/discharge and cycling performance at ambient temperature, suggesting there is potential to use Li₇La₃ZrNb_0.5Y_0.5O₁₂ electrolyte in Li-ion batteries. Additionally, the effects of varying the co-doping amount and dwelling time on the Li-ion conductivity of Li₇La₃Zr_2-2xNb_xY_xO₁₂ were investigated.     

Phase evolution during reactive flash sintering of Li6.25Al0.25La3Zr2O12 starting from a chemically prepared powder

Reactive flash sintering (RFS) of a chemically prepared multiphase precursor powder was performed to fabricate Li_6.25Al_0.25La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (Al-LLZO) ceramics. This approach allowed for obtaining single-phase dense samples in a remarkably short processing time of 30 s, at a furnace temperature of 600 °C, with an electric field of 50 V cm^?1 and a current limit of 150 mA mm^-2. The ceramics display high bulk conductivity of 0.18 mS cm^?1 at room temperature. Furthermore, phase evolution is studied by in-situ X-ray diffraction during: i) conventional heating and ii) RFS under current rate mode. As expected, the intermediate phases progressively dissolved into the Al-LLZO matrix by conventional heating. On the other hand, RFS promoted the growth of the intermediate La₂Zr₂O₇, an effect that was overcome by the thermally driven formation of Al-LLZO at higher temperatures. The observed different reaction pathway suggests that RFS can be used for stabilizing phases that are not thermodynamically favored upon conventional heating.