Solid-State Electrolyte Powder Synthesis for Scalable Conductive Ceramics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for manufacturing solid-state electrolyte materials are expensive, time-consuming, and not suitable for large-scale production, lacking the ability to achieve intimate solid-solid contact and resulting in uneven heating, which affects the performance and efficiency of solid-state batteries.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the synthesis of a ceramic material with a specific chemical composition (LiaLabZrcD1dD2e... DNnOv) using a digitally-controlled process that includes forming a gas-liquid mixture, jetting it into a power jetting chamber, drying it to form a gas-solid mixture, and annealing the particles to achieve crystalline products with high ionic conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional synthesis methods (pulsed laser deposition, RF magnetron sputtering, solid-state pyrolysis synthesis, sol-gel method, combustion synthesis, ball milling, electrospinning, molten salt method, spark plasma sintering route, atomic layer deposition) are used to manufacture solid-state electrolyte materials, then material quality can be achieved, but the production cost is very expensive and the production time is very long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameters of reactants from solid to liquid or gas phase, enabling continuous processing and rapid synthesis. The liquid precursor mixture is jetted into droplets and rapidly heated to form solid electrolyte particles, achieving both high quality and fast production
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical mixing and solid-state reaction methods with fluid dynamics-based jetting and vaporization processes. The liquid precursor solution is atomized into droplets and rapidly transformed into solid particles through controlled heating, eliminating long mechanical mixing and sintering steps
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional solid-state synthesis methods are used, then material can be produced, but intimate solid-solid contact cannot be achieved and heating is uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the aggregation state from solid to liquid during the reaction process, allowing complete mixing and intimate contact at the molecular level in liquid phase, followed by rapid solidification that preserves this uniform structure. This eliminates the uneven heating and poor contact problems of solid-state methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a liquid solvent as an intermediary medium that enables complete mixing of reactants before the reaction occurs. The liquid phase acts as a mediator that ensures uniform distribution of all components, which is then locked in during rapid drying to form uniformly structured solid particles
3Reliability
If liquid-based electrolytes are used in lithium-ion batteries, then good ionic conductivity can be achieved, but serious safety issues arise due to flammability and volatile organic solvents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite solid electrolyte material containing lithium salts dispersed in a solid polymer matrix. This composite structure provides both the ionic conductivity needed for battery operation and the thermal stability required for safety, eliminating the flammability problem of pure liquid electrolytes while maintaining performance
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 method enables the production of high-power, high-capacity, and thermally stable solid-state electrolyte materials with controlled particle sizes and crystal structures, suitable for large-scale manufacturing of solid-state batteries.
Implementation Method 1
drying the gas-liquid mixture for a first reaction time period of less than 20 min to undergo one or more oxidation reactions by delivering a second gas flow of a heated gas
Implementation Method 2
annealing the powdered particles for a second reaction time period of more than 2 hours to undergo a dynamic crystallization process in the presence of a third gas flow
Implementation Method 3
annealing the powdered particles for a second reaction time period of more than 2 hours to undergo a dynamic crystallization process
Data Source
AI summary
Various battery cells including a cathode material and a solid-state electrolyte (SSE) material having a desired chemical composition are provided. The synthesis process for the SSE material includes drying a gas-liquid mixture to form a gas-solid mixture, obtaining powdered particles, and annealing the powdered particles to obtain crystalline products of the SSE material. The liquid mixture is prepared using stoichiometrically amounts of lithium-containing salt and one or more inorganic salts and then mixed with a gas. The salts are prepared in solutions and the molar ratio of the solutions of lithium-containing salt and the one or more inorganic metal salt are digitally controlled, thereby obtaining large scale synthesis of the SSE materials. The resulting battery cell exhibits enhanced ionic conductivity, structural stability, and safety, making it suitable for next-generation solid-state battery applications with high energy density and extended cycle life.