Abstract:

The known problems of current liquid electrolyte lithium and sodium batteries vis a vis dendrite growth and subsequent short-circuiting drive the search for non-flammable electrolytes including ceramic materials. To compete with liquid electrolytes, ceramic and glass equivalent materials must offer Li+/Na+ conductivities of the order of 0.1-5 mS/cm at thicknesses of 15-50 µm to compete with liquid electrolyte/polymer separator systems currently in use. In addition, they must also offer robust mechanical properties to withstand deformation both in use and especially during fabrication of ASBs.

Still a further problem comes when one wants to mate individual components (anode/electrolyte/cathode) uniformly in the assembly of ASBs. We describe here general methods of using flame made nanopowders (NPs) to minimize the external energy input for sintering a wide variety of thin ceramic films including traditional ceramic electrolytes such as LATSP, Li7La3Zr2O12, and β’’-Al2O3. Some work on composite cathode materials is also presented. We further explore methods of making “ceramic adhesives” that may allow easy assembly of all ASBs.

Hosted by Amparo Fuertes  Researcher at the Solid State Chemistry Group