All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) improve safety by replacing flammable liquid electrolytes (LEs) with solid electrolytes (SEs); however, they have still limitations in commercialization due to low ionic conductivity, high interfacial resistance, and ...
All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) improve safety by replacing flammable liquid electrolytes (LEs) with solid electrolytes (SEs); however, they have still limitations in commercialization due to low ionic conductivity, high interfacial resistance, and limited cost-effectiveness. This dissertation focuses on the development of a novel class of iron-based dual-functional superionic materials based on superionic chemistry to address key challenges in the commercialization of ASSBs. I systematically investigated superionic materials composed of Li, Fe, Cl, and F or O. Specifically, two quaternary systems, Li-Fe-F-Cl and Li-Fe-O-Cl, were explored. I mapped two-dimensional (2D) compositional subspaces based on the charge-neutrality rule and examined all possible combinations with electrochemical and various spectroscopy evaluations for finding out superionic materials.
These novel superionic materials exhibited ionic conductivities above 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ (3.63 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for Li-Fe-F-Cl and 1.37 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for Li-Fe-O-Cl) and electrochemical stability within 2.5–4.0 V versus Li/Li⁺. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) confirmed that the reversible electrochemical activity of these materials arises from Fe redox reactions. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated excellent rate capabilities, with specific capacities of 90.2 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C rate for Li-Fe-F-Cl and 135.0 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1C rate for Li-Fe-O-Cl. In this dissertation, I developed iron-based dual-functional superionic materials as a novel class of materials with unique features. These materials exhibit dual functionality, namely high ionic conductivity and reversible electrochemical activity, showing strong potential to replace both SEs and active materials (AMs) and alleviate interfacial side effects. I hope this dissertation plays a role as a groundwork for the commercialization of ASSBs.