High ionic conductivity Y doped Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 solid electrolyte

Abstract

Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 is regarded as one of the most promising solid electrolytes for all solid state lithium ion batteries (ASSLIBS). However, its grain boundary conductivity is still low, which reduces the total conductivity of electrolyte. In this work, in order to further improve the electrical conductivity of Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3, a series of Y doped Li1.3Al0.3-xYxTi1.7(PO4)3 (x = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.075 and 0.15) solid electrolytes were synthesized using a modified solid state method. Effects of Y doping content on morphology, phase and electrical conductivity of Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 electrolyte materials were systematically investigated. All synthetic electrolyte powders show Nasicon-like structure, well-shaped polyhedral morphology as well as good crystallinity. Y dopant content has a great influence on electrochemical properties of electrolytes. The high total conductivity of 7.8 × 10−4 S/cm at room temperature and a low activation energy of 0.17 eV is obtained for the electrolyte with the Y doping content of 0.075 due to the increasing of grain boundary conductivity, and its electrical conductivity is about 2 times larger than that of the undoped electrolyte. The excellent electrochemical performance is mainly attributed to high electrolyte density which results from the good sintering property of electrolyte materials as well as the existence of YPO4 phase at grain boundaries. Additionally, this electrolyte has a negligible electronic conductivity. These results suggest that Y doped Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 can be used as an alternative solid electrolyte for all solid state lithium ion batteries.