Ionically Conducting Composite Membranes from the Li2O–Al2O3–TiO2–P2O5 Glass–Ceramic

Abstract

This paper reports processing of lithium ion‐conducting, composite membranes comprised of 14Li2O·9Al2O3·38 TiO2·39P2O5 glass–ceramic and polyethylene. The processing involved tape casting of 14Li2O·9Al2O3·38TiO2·39P2O5 glass powder with organic additives into tapes, subjecting the green tape to binder burnout and thermal soaking in the temperature range of 950°–1100°C, and finally infiltrating the porous tape with polyethylene solution. The ionic conductivity and microstructure of 150–350 μm thick membranes were characterized and are discussed in this paper. The crystallites of the glass–ceramic show liquid‐like conductivity at ambient temperature, whereas the grain boundary conductivity is lower by a factor of five. The lower grain boundary conductivity is explained on the basis of crystallographic mismatch and the existence of AlPO4 at the grain boundary. The polyethylene infiltration in the porous membrane improved mechanical resilience with a minor adverse effect on conductivity.