Garnet Solid Electrolyte for Lithium Battery Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium batteries with liquid electrolytes face instability, leakage, fire risks, and dendrite growth at high voltages, necessitating a solid ion conductor with improved lithium ionic conductivity for safer and more efficient energy storage in applications like electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A solid ion conductor based on a garnet-type oxide with specific chemical composition and structure, including partial substitution of ions, is developed to enhance lithium ionic conductivity and stability, which is integrated into all-solid-state lithium batteries and lithium air batteries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If liquid electrolyte is used in lithium battery, then the battery can operate, but it causes chemical instability, decomposition at high voltage, leakage, fire, and dendrite growth risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the electrolyte from liquid to solid, fundamentally altering the system's safety characteristics. The solid ion conductor maintains ionic conductivity while eliminating the harmful properties of liquid electrolytes such as leakage, flammability, and dendrite formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures in the solid ion conductor, combining multiple elements (Li, La, Zr, O, and dopants) to create a garnet-type oxide with optimized ionic conductivity and structural stability, achieving both performance and safety requirements.
2Use of energy by moving object
If solid ion conductor with high lithium ionic conductivity is developed, then energy efficiency improves, but material composition and structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by introducing specific dopants at controlled concentrations (x and y parameters) into the garnet structure. This allows optimization of ionic conductivity in specific regions of the material composition space while maintaining overall structural integrity and manageable complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent systematically varies compositional parameters (x and y in Li5+x+2y(Dy,La3-y)(Mez,M2-z)O12) to optimize lithium ionic conductivity. By changing stoichiometric ratios and dopant concentrations, the material achieves high ionic conductivity while keeping the compositional complexity within acceptable limits for manufacturing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The garnet-type oxide solid ion conductor achieves high lithium ionic conductivity and chemical stability, reducing interfacial resistance and improving energy efficiency in lithium batteries, making them suitable for high-temperature and long-duration applications.
Implementation Method 1
The lithium ion conductor constituting the solid electrolyte is a single ion conductor in which only Li ions migrate
Implementation Method 2
sintering the precursor in an air atmosphere at a temperature of about 800° C. to about 1250° C. for about 2 to about 40 hours
Data Source
AI summary
A solid ion conductor including a garnet oxide represented by Formula 1:L5+xE3(Mez,M2-z)Od Formula 1wherein L includes Li and is at least one of a monovalent cation and a divalent cation;E is a trivalent cation;Me and M are each independently one of a trivalent, tetravalent, pentavalent, and hexavalent cation;0<x≤3, 0≤z<2, and 0<d≤12; andO is partially or totally substituted with at least one of a pentavalent anion, a hexavalent anion, and a heptavalent anion.