Preparation of the Solid Electrolytes Li4+xAlxSi1‐xO4‐yLi3PO4 and Their Ionic Conductivity

The ion conductors Li_4+xAl_xSi_1‐xO₄‐yLi₃PO₄ (x = 0 to 0.5, y = 0 to 0.6) were prepared by the Sol‐Gel method. The powder and sintered samples were characterized by DTA‐TG, XRD, SEM, and AC impedance techniques. The conductivity and sinterability increased when y increased from 0 to 0.4 in the Li_4+xAl_xSi_1‐xO₄‐yLi₃PO₄. The particle size of the powder samples is about 0.13 μm. The maximum conductivity at 20 °C is 3.128 × 10^?5s cm^?1 for Li_4.4Al_0.4Si_0.6O₄‐0.4 Li₃PO₄.     

Preparation of the Solid Electrolytes Li4＋xAlxSi1—xO4—yAl2O3 by the Sol—Gel Method and Study of Their Ionic Conductivity

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The Ionic Conductivity of Solid Electrolytes for Li4+xMxSi1–xO4‐yLi2O (M=Al,B) Systems

The Li_4+xM_xSi_4+xO₄‐yLi₂O (M=Al, B; x = 0 to 0.6, y = 0 to 0.5) ion conductors were prepared by the Sol‐Gel method and examined in detail. The powder and sintered samples were characterized by DTA‐TG, XRD, SEM, and AC impedance techniques. The experimental results show that the conductivity and sinterability in creased with the amount of excess lithium oxide in the silicate. The Li₂O phase acts as a flux to accelerate the sintering process and to obtain high conductivity of grain boundaries. The particle size of the sintered pellets is about 0.25 μm. The maximum conductivity at 200 °C is 5.40 × 10^?3s cm^?1 for Li_4.4Al_0.4 Si_0.6O₄‐0.3Li₂O.     

The Ionic Conductivity of Ultrafine Solid Electrolytes for Li4.4Al0.4Si0.6O4‐xY2O3 Systems

The Li_4.4Al_0.4Si_0.6O₄‐xY₂O₃ (x = 0 to 0.5) ion conductors were prepared by the Sol‐Gel method and examined in detail. The powder and sintered samples were characterized by DTA‐TG, XRD, SEM, and AC impedance techniques. The experimental results show that the conductivity and sinterability increased with the amount of excess Y₂O₃ in the silicate. The particle size of the powder samples is about 0.12 μm. The maximum conductivity at 16 °C is 2.925 × 10^?5s·cm^?1 for Li_4.4Al_0.4Si_0.6O₄‐0.3 Y₂O₃.     

Synthesis of New Lithium Ionic Conductor Thio-LISICON—Lithium Silicon Sulfides System

The new lithium ionic conductors, thio-LISICON (LIthium SuperIonic CONductor), were found in the ternary Li₂S-SiS₂-Al₂S₃ and Li₂S-SiS₂-P₂S₅ systems. Their structures of new materials, Li_4+xSi_1−xAl_xS₄ and Li_4−xSi_1−xP_xS₄ were determined by X-ray Rietveld analysis, and the electric and electrochemical properties were studied by electronic conductivity, ac conductivity and cyclic voltammogram measurements. The structure of the host material, Li₄SiS₄ is related to the γ-Li₃PO₄-type structure, and when the Li⁺ interstitials or Li⁺ vacancies were created by the partial substitutions of Al³⁺ or P⁵⁺ for Si⁴⁺, large increases in conductivity occur. The solid solution member x=0.6 in Li_4−xSi_1−xP_xS₄ showed high conductivity of 6.4×10^-4 S cm⁻¹ at 27°C with negligible electronic conductivity. The new solid solution, Li_4−xSi_1−xP_xS₄, also has high electrochemical stability up to ∼5 V vs Li at room temperature. All-solid-state lithium cells were investigated using the Li_3.4Si_0.4P_0.6S₄ electrolyte, LiCoO₂ cathode and In anode.     

Structure, thermal stability and properties of Li3Sc(BO3)2

Polycrystalline Li₃Sc(BO₃)₂ was synthesized through the solid-state reaction, which is air-, water- and thermal-stable below about 929 °C. Its crystal structure was resolved and refined on the basis of powder X-ray diffraction data. The metal-borate framework is built up from ScO₆ octahedra connected to each other by sharing common edges, corners and faces of BO₃ units and LiO₄ groups. Coordination surrounding of B-O in this structure, [BO₃]³⁻ group, was confirmed by an infrared absorption spectrum of an Li₃Sc(BO₃)₂. According to the electronic structure calculated by first-principles calculations, an Li₃Sc(BO₃)₂ is an insulator with a wide indirect energy band gap of about 4.4 eV. Considering the facile synthesis, large band gap, and thermal stability and excellent Tb³⁺-doped photoluminescence characteristics of this compound in general, it may be a good candidate as host of phosphors deposited on chip of the light-emitting diodes for white-color conversion.     

Structural Variations in the Solid‐Solution Series LnxCa2−xAl[Al1+xSi1−xO7] with 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 and Ln = La,Eu, Er

Gehlenite, Ca₂Al[AlSiO₇], has melilite‐type structure with space group . It contains two topologically distinct positions coordinated tetrahedrally by oxygen. One is completely occupied by Al³⁺, whereas the other one contains Al³⁺ and Si⁴⁺. Normally, the Al³⁺ molar fraction in the second tetrahedrally coordinated position does not exceed x_Al = 0.5, i.e. the so‐called Loewenstein‐rule is obeyed. In this contribution the structural variations in the melilite‐type compounds of the compositions La_xCa_2?xAl[Al_1+xSi_1?xO₇], Eu_xCa_2?xAl[Al_1+xSi_1?xO₇] and Er_xCa_2?xAl[Al_1+xSi_1?xO₇] are discussed. All members of the solid solution except the end‐members violate Loewenstein's rule. Rietveld refinements against X‐ray powder diffraction patterns confirm that the compounds have space group , without changes in the Wyckoff‐positions of the ions compared to gehlenite.     

Strong f‐f Excitation and Bright Red Emission in Cd4Gd1‐xEuxO(BO3)3 (0≤x≤1): Near‐UV LED Pumped Red Phosphor with Low Thermal Quenching

Searching efficient red phosphors under near‐UV or blue light excitation is practically important to improve the current white light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs). Eu²⁺‐ and Mn⁴⁺‐based red phosphors have been extensively studied. Here we proposed that Eu³⁺ is also a promising activator when it resides on a noncentrosymmetric coordination site. We proved that Cd₄GdO(BO₃)₃ is a good host, which has a significantly distorted coordination for Eu³⁺. A careful crystallographic study was performed on the solid solutions of Cd₄Gd_1‐xEu_xO(BO₃)₃ (0≤x≤1) by Rietveld refinements. The as‐doped Eu³⁺ cations locate at the Gd³⁺ site and are well separated by CdO₈, CdO₆ and BO₃ groups; thus, only a slight concentration quenching was observed at ≈80 atom % Eu³⁺. Most importantly, the parity‐forbidden law of 4f‐4f transitions for Eu³⁺ are severely depressed, thus the absorptions at ≈393 and ≈465 nm are remarkable. Cd₄Gd_0.2Eu_0.8O(BO₃)₃ can be pumped by a 395 nm LED chip to give a bright red emission, and when mixed with other commercial blue and green phosphors, it can emit the proper white light (0.3657, 0.3613) with a suitable R_a≈87 and correlated colour temperature ≈4326 K. In‐situ photoluminescence study indicated the low thermal quenching of these borate phosphors, especially under 465 nm excitation. Our case proves the practicability to develop near‐UV excited red phosphors in rare‐earth‐containing borates.     

The Al stabilized phase Li3−3xAlxBO3

The structure of an Al³⁺ stabilized phase Li_3−3xAl_xBO₃ (x≈0.18) was determined by means of single crystal X-ray diffraction. This phase crystallizes in space group P6₁22 or P6₅22, with lattice constants , and Z=6. The unit cell consists of six layers of BO₃ groups with Li⁺ cations distributing statistically on five crystallographic sites, none of which is fully occupied. The Li sites are close to each other and a three-dimensional network results when Li sites only within 1.65 Å are connected. Significant ionic conductivity was observed for this phase.     

Electrochemical Investigations of Mn and Al Co‐doped Li2FeSiO4/C Cathodes for Li‐Ion Battery

Few studies on orthosilicate cathodes co‐doped with two cations have been reported until now. Here, we report the synthesis of Mn and Al co‐doped Li₂Fe_0.8?xMn_0.2Al_xSiO₄ (x = 0.05 and 0.1) by a solid‐state reaction route and characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), galvanostatic charge/discharge tests, and capacity intermittent titration technique (CITT), as compared to the single‐doped Li₂Fe_0.8Mn_0.2SiO₄. Though the co‐doping leads to a slight decreased capacity owing to the increased impurity and Al³⁺ inertia, a better cycling performance is obtained as expected. Especially when x is 0.05, the modified sample (Li₂Fe_0.75Mn_0.2Al_0.05SiO₄) shows an initial discharge capacity of 159.3 mAh/g and high capacity retention of 78% after 50 charge/discharge cycles. The present work indicates that a synergistic effect of Mn and Al co‐substitution at the Fe site could partly make up the disadvantage of single Mn doping, and might provide an effective guide for the dopant incorporation to Li₂FeSiO₄ systems.     

Low temperature synthesis of highly ion conductive Li7La3Zr2O12–Li3BO3 composites

Highly lithium ion conductive composites with Al-doped Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZ) and amorphous Li₃BO₃ were prepared from sol–gel derived precursor powders of LLZ and Li₃BO₃. Precursor LLZ powders with cubic phase were obtained by a heat treatment of the precursor dried gel at 600 °C. Pellets of the mixture of the obtained LLZ and Li₃BO₃ were first held at 700 °C, and then successively sintered at 900 °C. Density of the sintered pellet with Li₃BO₃ was larger than that of the pellet without Li₃BO₃. From the TEM observation, the pellets were found to consist of cubic LLZ and amorphous Li₃BO₃. Total electrical conductivity of the obtained LLZ–Li₃BO₃ composite was 1 × 10^− 4 Scm^− 1 at 30 °C.     

Lithium aluminate-doped lithium orthosilicate: Sol-gel ceramics and lithium dynamics

Dense ceramics (Li_4+xSi_1−xAl_xO₄ with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.3) are obtained by sintering at 700–900°C, without prior calcination, of sol-gel powders prepared by an alkoxide-hydroxide route. In comparison with the pure lithium orthosilicate (3 × 10⁻⁴ S · cm⁻¹ at 350°C), only a slight enhancement of the ionic conductivity is noted for monophase ceramics with Li₄SiO₄-type structure (5 × 10⁻⁴ S · cm⁻¹ at 350°C for x = 0.3). Higher conductivity (2 × 10⁻² S · cm⁻¹ at 350°C) is observed for an heterogeneous material formed of a lithium silicoaluminate phase (x = 0.2) with the Li₄SiO₄-type structure coexisting with lithium hydroxide. In this two-phase material, ac conductivity and ⁷Li spin-lattice relaxation data are consistent with the formation of a new kinetic path, via a thin layer along the interface, which enhances the lithium mobility.     

MAS-NMR studies of lithium aluminum silicate (LAS) glasses and glass-ceramics having different Li2O/Al2O3 ratio

Emergence of phases in lithium aluminum silicate (LAS) glasses of composition (wt%) xLi₂O-71.7SiO₂-(17.7−x)Al₂O₃-4.9K₂O-3.2B₂O₃-2.5P₂O₅ (5.1≤x≤12.6) upon heat treatment were studied. ²⁹Si, ²⁷Al, ³¹P and ¹¹B MAS-NMR were employed for structural characterization of both LAS glasses and glass-ceramics. In glass samples, Al is found in tetrahedral coordination, while P exists mainly in the form of orthophosphate units. B exists as BO₃ and BO₄ units. ²⁷Al NMR spectra show no change with crystallization, ruling out the presence of any Al containing phase. Contrary to X-ray diffraction studies carried out, ¹¹B (high field 18.8 T) and ²⁹Si NMR spectra clearly indicate the unexpected crystallization of a borosilicate phase (Li,K)BSi₂O₆, whose structure is similar to the aluminosilicate virgilite. Also, lithium disilicate (Li₂Si₂O₅), lithium metasilicate (Li₂SiO₃) and quartz (SiO₂) were identified in the ²⁹Si NMR spectra of the glass-ceramics. ³¹P NMR spectra of the glass-ceramics revealed the presence of Li₃PO₄ and a mixed phase (Li,K)₃PO₄ at low alkali concentrations.     

Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 filler effect on (PEO)LiClO4 solid polymer electrolyte

Composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) films consisting of PEO, LiClO₄, and Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ with fixed EO/Li = 8 but different relative compositions of the two lithium salts were prepared by the solution casting method. The CPE films were characterized using SEM, DSC, electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and ion transference number measurement. It was found that the incorporation of LiClO₄ and Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ into PEO by keeping EO/Li = 8 reduced the crystallinity of PEO from 50.34% to the range of 3.57–15.63% depending upon the relative composition of the two salts. The room temperature impedance spectra of the CPE films all exhibited a shape of depressed semicircle in the high frequency range and inclined line in the low frequency range, but the high temperature ones were mainly inclined lines. The Li⁺ ionic conductivity of the CPE films mildly increased and then decreased with increasing Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ content, and the maximum conductivities were obtained at Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ content of 15 wt % for all measuring temperatures, for example, 1.378 × 10^?3 S/cm at 100 °C and 1.387 × 10^?5 S/cm at 25 °C. The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity of the CPE films follows the Vogel–Tamman–Fulcher (VTF) equation The pseudo activation energies (E_a) were rather low, 0.053–0.062 eV, indicating an easy migration of Li⁺ in the amorphous phase dominant PEO. The pre‐exponent constant A and ion transference number t_Li+ were found to have a similar variation tendency with increasing Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ content and reached their maximums also at Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ content of 15 wt %. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 43: 743–751, 2005     

An alkoxide cluster with 18 Li+ ions encapsulating two borate anions, [(tBuO)12Li18(BO3)2]

The title compound, bis­(borato)­dodeca(tert‐butoxo)­octa­deca­lithium, [Li₁₈(BO₃)₂(C₄H₉O)₁₂], is formulated conveniently as [{(^tBuOLi)₃(Li₃BO₃)}₂(^tBuOLi)₆]. A central 12‐membered ring and two outer six‐membered rings are formed by alternating Li⁺ cations and alkoxide O atoms. Sandwiched between the central ring and each of the outer rings is a planar array of three further Li⁺ cations surrounding a [BO₃]³⁻ anion. Thus, the mol­ecule consists of a cationic [Li₁₈(O^tBu)₁₂]⁶⁺ cage encapsulating two borate anions. This compound is the first example of a structurally characterized polynuclear lithium borate, and a rare case of a lithium alkoxide cage with nuclearity greater than eight. All the alkoxide ligands are triply bridging, and the lithium ions have trigonal‐planar, trigonal‐pyramidal and fourfold coordination, all with major distortions from regular coordination geometry.     

Photoluminescent properties of white-light-emitting Li6Y(BO3)3:Dy3+ phosphor

In this study, lithium yttrium borate (LYBO) phosphor was doped with various concentrations of trivalent dysprosium ions. To produce these phosphors, the raw materials were sintered. The phase conformation, crystallinity, grain size, and overall morphology of the synthesized phosphors were studied with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The optimized LYBO phosphor, i.e., the LYBO phosphor that exhibited the highest X-ray- and ultraviolet (UV)-induced photoluminescent intensities, had a Dy³⁺ concentration of 4 mol%. Photoluminescence analysis showed that this phosphor could be easily excited with near-UV light (300–400 nm). The dominant photoluminescence bands were found in the blue (480 nm) and yellow (577 nm) regions of the visible spectrum. The light yield of the X-ray-induced luminescence of the optimized Li₆Y(BO₃)₃:Dy³⁺ was found to be 66% of that of the commercially available X-ray imaging material, Gd₂O₂S:Tb³⁺ (GOS). The chromaticity coordinates of the Li₆Y(BO₃)₃:Dy³⁺ phosphor were x = 0.34 and y = 0.32, which agree well with achromatic white (x = 0.33, y = 0.33). The results of this study show that the synthesized Li₆Y(BO₃)₃:Dy³⁺ phosphor could be used as X-ray imaging material.     

Developing Intense Blue and Magenta Colors in α‐LiZnBO3: The Role of 3d‐Metal Substitution and Coordination

We describe the synthesis, crystal structures, and optical absorption spectra/colors of 3d‐transition‐metal‐substituted α‐LiZnBO₃ derivatives: α‐LiZn_1?xM^II_xBO₃ (M^II=Co^II (0<x<0.50), Ni^II (0<x≤0.05), Cu^II (0<x≤0.10)) and α‐Li_1+xZn_1?2xM^III_xBO₃ (M^III=Mn^III (0<x≤0.10), Fe^III (0<x≤0.25)). The crystal structure of the host α‐LiZnBO₃, which is both disordered and distorted with respect to Li and Zn occupancies and coordination geometries, is largely retained in the derivatives, which gives rise to unique colors (blue for Co^II, magenta for Ni^II, violet for Cu^II) that could be of significance for the development of new, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly pigment materials, particularly in the case of the blue pigments. Accordingly, this work identifies distorted tetrahedral MO₄ (M=Co, Ni, Cu) structural units, with a long M?O bond that results in trigonal bipyramidal geometry, as new chromophores for blue, magenta, and violet colors in a α‐LiZnBO₃ host. From the L*a*b* color coordinates, we found that Co‐substituted compounds have an intense blue color that is stronger than that of CoAl₂O₄ and YIn_0.90Mn_0.10O₃. The near‐infrared (NIR) reflectance spectral studies indicate that these compounds exhibit a moderate IR reflectivity that could be significant for applications as “cool pigments”.     

Color Point Tuning in Lu3−x−yMnxAl5−xSixO12:yCe3+ for White LEDs

A series of the solid‐solution phosphors Lu_3?x?yMn_xAl_5?xSi_xO₁₂:yCe³⁺ is synthesized by solid‐state reaction. The obtained phosphors possess the garnet structure and exhibit similar excitation properties as the phosphor Lu₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺, but with an effectively improved red component in the emission spectrum. This can be attributed to the energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Mn²⁺. Our investigation reveals that electric dipole–quadrupole interactions dominate the energy‐transfer mechanism and that the critical distance determined by the spectral overlap method is about 9.21 Å. The color‐tunable emissions of the Lu_3?x?yMn_xAl_5?xSi_xO₁₂:yCe³⁺ phosphor as a function of Mn₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂ content are realized by continuously shifting the chromaticity coordinates from (0.354, 0.570) to (0.462, 0.494). They indicate that the obtained material may have potential application as a blue radiation‐converting phosphor for white LEDs with high‐quality white light.     

Lithium-cationic conductivity in the Li4 − 2x Cd x GeO4 system

The lithium-conducting solid electrolytes in the Li_{4 ? 2x} Cd _x GeO₄ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) system are synthesized. Their crystal structure and temperature and concentration dependences of conductivity are studied. The specimens with the highest conductivity have a γ-Li₃PO₄-derivative structure. The solid solutions with x = 0.15–0.25 are stable at the room temperature, whereas the specimens with x ≥ 0.3 decompose yielding Li₂CdGeO₄ below 310 ± 10°C. Li_3.6Cd_0.2GeO₄ solid solution exhibits the highest conductivity (5.25 × 10^?2 S cm^?1 at 300°C). The factors, which affect the conductivity of synthesized solid electrolytes, are considered.     

Synthesis and electrical properties of Li1+ x M x Ti2– x (PO4)3 (where M =Sc, Al, Fe, Y; x =0.3) superionic ceramics

Compounds of the system Li_{1+ x} M _x Ti_{2– x} (PO₄)₃ (where M=Sc, Al, Fe, Y; x=0.3) were synthesized by a solid-state reaction and studied by X-ray diffraction. The ceramic samples were sintered and investigated by complex impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range 10⁶–1.2×10⁹ Hz in the temperature range 300–600 K. Two relaxation dispersions related to the fast Li⁺ ion transport in bulk and grain boundaries were found. The activation energies of the bulk conductivity and relaxation frequency were obtained from the slops of Arrhenius plots. The values of the activation energies of the bulk ionic conductivity and relaxation frequency were found to be very similar in all the materials investigated. That can be attributed to the fact that the temperature dependences of the bulk conductivity are caused only by the mobility of the fast Li⁺ ions, while the number of charge carriers remains constant with temperature. Electronic Publication