Single-atom-layer traps in a solid electrolyte for lithium batteries.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 32286287.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-15544-x and PMC identifier 7156726.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
In order to fully understand the lithium-ion transport mechanism in solid electrolytes for batteries, not only the periodic lattice but also the non-periodic features that disrupt the ideal periodicity must be comprehensively studied. At present only a limited number of non-periodic features such as point defects and grain boundaries are considered in mechanistic studies. Here, we discover an additional type of non-periodic feature that significantly influences ionic transport; this feature is termed a "single-atom-layer trap" (SALT). In a prototype solid electrolyte Li<sub>0.33</sub>La<sub>0.56</sub>TiO<sub>3</sub>, the single-atom-layer defects that form closed loops, i.e., SALTs, are found ubiquitous by atomic-resolution electron microscopy. According to ab initio calculations, these defect loops prevent large volumes of materials from participating in ionic transport, and thus severely degrade the total conductivity. This discovery points out the urgency of thoroughly investigating different types of non-periodic features, and motivates similar studies for other solid electrolytes.