Lithium metal electrode kinetics and ionic conductivity of the solid lithium ion conductors "Li7La3Zr2O12" and Li7 xLa3Zr2 xTaxO12 with garnet type structure
Abstract The lithium ion solid electrolyte "Li7La3Zr2O12" (LLZO) and the tantalum substituted analogue Li7 xLa3Zr2 xTaxO12 (LLZTO) with varying Ta content 0.375 I a 3 d Phase formation was studied by X ray powder diffraction. While Al doping was necessary for the preparation of dense LLZO ceramics crystallizing in the high lithium ion conductive cubic garnet modification, dense cubic tantalum substituted LLZTO ceramics could be prepared without Al doping. Ta substitution was found to facilitate the formation of the cubic garnet modification at lower synthesis temperature. The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity and lithium metal electrode kinetics were studied by ac impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry, respectively. The ionic conductivity of cubic LLZTO was found to increase by Al doping. The highest room temperature conductivity of 5 x 10 4 S cm 1 with an activation energy of Ea 0.41 eV was found for the sample Li6.625La3Zr1.625Ta0.375O12 with 28 mol% Al content. Lithium electrode kinetics was studied on LLZO and LLZTO samples. The electrode activation energies of all investigated samples showed similar values between Ea 0.41 eV and 0.46 eV close to the activation energies for lithium ion migration in the bulk electrolyte. Thus, the Ta substituted and Al doped material Li6.625La3Zr1.625Ta0.375O12 (29 mol% Al) showed a more than one order of magnitude higher exchange current density of i0 240 mA cm 2 than Ta free LLZO with i0 18 mA cm 2.