Lithium-ion Mobility in Li6 B18 (Li3 N) and Li Vacancy Tuning in the Solid Solution Li6 B18 (Li3 N)1-x (Li2 O)x.

All-solid-state batteries are promising candidates for safe energy-storage systems due to non-flammable solid electrolytes and the possibility to use metallic lithium as an anode. Thus, there is a challenge to design new solid electrolytes and to understand the principles of ion conduction on an atomic scale. We report on a new concept for compounds with high lithium ion mobility based on a rigid open-framework boron structure. The host-guest structure Li6 B18 (Li3 N) comprises large hexagonal pores filled with ∞ 1 [ ${{}_{{\rm { \infty }}}{}^{{\rm { 1}}}{\rm { [}}}$ Li7 N] strands that represent a perfect cutout from the structure of α-Li3 N. Variable-temperature 7 Li NMR spectroscopy reveals a very high Li mobility in the template phase with a remarkably low activation energy below 19 kJ mol-1 and thus much lower than pristine Li3 N. The formation of the solid solution of Li6 B18 (Li3 N) and Li6 B18 (Li2 O) over the complete compositional range allows the tuning of lithium defects in the template structure that is not possible for pristine Li3 N and Li2 O.

Li5 SnP3 - a Member of the Series Li10+4x Sn2-x P6 for x=0 Comprising the Fast Lithium-Ion Conductors Li8 SnP4 (x=0.5) and Li14 SnP6 (x=1).

The targeted search for suitable solid-state ionic conductors requires a certain understanding of the conduction mechanism and the correlation of the structures and the resulting properties of the material. Thus, the investigation of various ionic conductors with respect to their structural composition is crucial for the design of next-generation materials as demanded. We report here on Li5 SnP3 which completes with x=0 the series Li10+4x Sn2-x P6 of the fast lithium-ion conductors α- and ß-Li8 SnP4 (x=0.5) and Li14 SnP6 (x=1). Synthesis, crystal structure determination by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction methods, as well as 6 Li, 31 P and 119 Sn MAS NMR and temperature-dependent 7 Li NMR spectroscopy together with electrochemical impedance studies are reported. The correlation between the ionic conductivity and the occupation of octahedral and tetrahedral sites in a close-packed array of P atoms in the series of compounds is discussed. We conclude from this series that in order to receive fast ion conductors a partial occupation of the octahedral vacancies seems to be crucial.

Fast Lithium Ion Conduction in Lithium Phosphidoaluminates.

Solid electrolyte materials are crucial for the development of high-energy-density all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) using a nonflammable electrolyte. In order to retain a low lithium-ion transfer resistance, fast lithium ion conducting solid electrolytes are required. We report on the novel superionic conductor Li9 AlP4 which is easily synthesised from the elements via ball-milling and subsequent annealing at moderate temperatures and which is characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction. This representative of the novel compound class of lithium phosphidoaluminates has, as an undoped material, a remarkable fast ionic conductivity of 3 mS cm-1 and a low activation energy of 29 kJ mol-1 as determined by impedance spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent 7 Li NMR spectroscopy supports the fast lithium motion. In addition, Li9 AlP4 combines a very high lithium content with a very low theoretical density of 1.703 g cm-3 . The distribution of the Li atoms over the diverse crystallographic positions between the [AlP4 ]9- tetrahedra is analyzed by means of DFT calculations.

Solid state NMR at very high temperatures.

Whereas high resolution NMR at temperatures up to 550 K can be routinely performed selecting from a variety of commercially available NMR hardware, experiments in the high temperature regime, defined here as T > 550 K, have been restricted to just a few specialized laboratories. In this contribution we present important developments of high temperature NMR over the last decades. Various methods to achieve high resolution high temperature NMR, including resistive heating, laser-assisted heating and inductive heating, are presented and their specific advantages and disadvantages discussed. The various ways of temperature monitoring including the use of chemical shift thermometers or T1 thermometers are reviewed. In the last section, some typical application examples from the field of oxidic glasses and melts are given.

Fast Ionic Conductivity in the Most Lithium-Rich Phosphidosilicate Li14SiP6.

Solid electrolytes with superionic conductivity are required as a main component for all-solid-state batteries. Here we present a novel solid electrolyte with three-dimensional conducting pathways based on "lithium-rich" phosphidosilicates with ionic conductivity of σ > 10-3 S cm-1 at room temperature and activation energy of 30-32 kJ mol-1 expanding the recently introduced family of lithium phosphidotetrelates. Aiming toward higher lithium ion conductivities, systematic investigations of lithium phosphidosilicates gave access to the so far lithium-richest compound within this class of materials. The crystalline material (space group Fm3m), which shows reversible thermal phase transitions, can be readily obtained by ball mill synthesis from the elements followed by moderate thermal treatment of the mixture. Lithium diffusion pathways via both tetrahedral and octahedral voids are analyzed by temperature-dependent powder neutron diffraction measurements in combination with maximum entropy method and DFT calculations. Moreover, the lithium ion mobility structurally indicated by a disordered Li/Si occupancy in the tetrahedral voids plus partially filled octahedral voids is studied by temperature-dependent impedance and 7Li NMR spectroscopy.

Enhancement of Li Ion Conductivity by Electrospun Polymer Fibers and Direct Fabrication of Solvent-Free Separator Membranes for Li Ion Batteries.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based polymer fibers, containing different amounts of the conductive salt LiBF4 and the plasticizer succinonitrile, were prepared by an electrospinning process. This process resulted in fiber membranes of several square centimeters area and an overall thickness of ∼100 µm. All membranes are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and solid-state NMR spectroscopy, to evaluate the influence of the preparation process and the composition on the conductivity of the materials. Impedance spectroscopy was used to measure the conductivities and activation barriers for the different membranes. The highest conductivity of 2 × 10-4 S/cm at room temperature and 9 × 10-4 S/cm at 328 K is reached for a PEO/SN/LiBF4 (36:8:1) membrane, featuring an activation energy of 31 kJ/mol. Li mobilities, as deduced from the evaluation of the temperature dependence of the 7Li NMR line width and the overall electrochemical performance, are found to be distinctively superior to nonspun samples, synthesized via conventional solution casting. The same trend was found for the conductivities. NMR spectroscopy clearly substantiated that the mobility of the PEO segments drastically increases with the addition of succinonitrile pushing the conductivity to reasonable high values. In CV experiments the reversible Li transport through the dry membrane was evaluated and proved. This study shows that electrospinning provides a direct synthesis of solvent-free solid-state electrolyte membranes, ready to use in electrochemical applications.

Lithium Ion Mobility in Lithium Phosphidosilicates: Crystal Structure, 7 Li, 29 Si, and 31 P†MAS NMR Spectroscopy, and Impedance Spectroscopy of Li8 SiP4 and Li2 SiP2.

The need to improve electrodes and Li-ion conducting materials for rechargeable all-solid-state batteries has drawn enhanced attention to the investigation of lithium-rich compounds. The study of the ternary system Li-Si-P revealed a series of new compounds, two of which, Li8 SiP4 and Li2 SiP2 , are presented. Both phases represent members of a new family of Li ion conductors that display Li ion conductivity in the range from 1.15(7)×10-6 Scm-1 at 0 °C to 1.2(2)×10-4 Scm-1 at 75 °C (Li8 SiP4 ) and from 6.1(7)×10-8 Scm-1 at 0 °C to 6(1)×10-6 Scm-1 at 75 °C (Li2 SiP2 ), as determined by impedance measurements. Temperature-dependent solid-state 7 Li NMR spectroscopy revealed low activation energies of about 36 kJ mol-1 for Li8 SiP4 and about 47 kJ mol-1 for Li2 SiP2 . Both compounds were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis (single crystal and powder methods) and by 7 Li, 29 Si, and 31 P MAS NMR spectroscopy. Both phases consist of tetrahedral SiP4 anions and Li counterions. Li8 SiP4 contains isolated SiP4 units surrounded by Li atoms, while Li2 SiP2 comprises a three-dimensional network based on corner-sharing SiP4 tetrahedra, with the Li ions located in cavities and channels.

High-temperature MAS-NMR at high spinning speeds.

A low cost version to enable high temperature MAS NMR experiments at temperatures of up to 700°C and spinning speeds of up to 10kHz is presented. The method relies on inductive heating using a metal coated rotor insert. The metal coating is accomplished via a two step process involving physical vapor deposition and galvanization.