Effects of Nd and Al co-doping on the microstructure and lithium-ion transport in Li7La3Zr2O12 solid-state batteries

Abstract

In this study, we synthesized co-doped Li6.25Al0.25La3-yNdyZr2O12 (LALNZO) solid-state electrolytes with varying Nd contents to investigate the influence Nd plays on phase evolution, microstructure, and lithium-ion conductivity. It was found that incorporating Nd ions into the lattice reduced bulk resistance by controlling Li+ concentration. However, X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that excessive Nd content led to the formation of Nd2O3, which negatively impacted ion transport and increased grain boundary resistance. It is noteworthy that the LALNZO (y = 0.2) ceramic exhibited outstanding performance, with 94% relative density, and ionic conductivity of 4.7 × 10−4 S/cm. The activation energy was 0.32 eV. Further, Li6.25Al0.25La2.8Nd0.2Zr2O12 was able to demonstrate a stable capacity of 103 mA.h. g−1 after 50 cycles at a current density of 0.1C when used as an electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for developing advanced solid-state electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries.