• Home
  • About Us
    • Member Directory
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs
    • Scientific Blogs
      • Technology
      • Environment
      • Health
    • Infinity Explorer
    • Traveler Book
    • Life Around
  • Publication
  • Scientific Advisory
  • Project
    • Future Projects
    • Ongoing Projects
    • Previous Projects
  • Services
    • Language Programs
    • Latest Software
    • Environmental Consultancy
    • Internship
    • Exercise
  • Career
    • Masters
    • PHDs
    • Postdoctorals
    • Travel Grants
    • Others

Development of a novel large-scale manufacturing technology for sulfide solid electrolytes

Development of a novel large-scale manufacturing technology for sulfide solid electrolytes

sulfide solid electrolytes

Share:

Twitter
Tweet
LinkedIn
Share
Facebook
fb-share-icon
WeChat
Follow by Email
Hardin Bitsky

Hardin Bitsky

Mr. Hardin, a future doctor of pharmacy, provides services as a content writer for scientific and technical niches.

A research group in the doctoral program of Toyohashi University of Technology’s Department of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering that includes a doctoral student Hirotada Gamo and specially appointed assistant professor Jin Nishida, specially appointed associate professor Atsushi Nagai, assistant professor Kazuhiro Hikima, professor Atsunori Matsuda and others, developed a large-scale manufacturing technology of Li7P3S11 solid electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium-ion secondary batteries.

This method involves the addition of an excessive amount of sulfur (S) along with Li2S and P2S5, the starting materials of Li7P3S11, to a solvent containing a mixture of acetonitrile (ACN), tetrahydrofuran (THF) and a slight amount of ethanol (EtOH). This helped to shorten the reaction time from 24 hours or longer to only two minutes. The final product obtained using this method is highly pure Li7P3S11 without an impurity phase that showed high ionic conductivity of 1.2 mS cm-1 at 25 °C. These results enable us to produce a large quantity of sulfide solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries at low cost. The results of the research were published online by Advanced Energy and Sustainability Research on April 28, 2022.

Details

All-solid-state batteries are expected to be the next generation of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) because they are very safe and enable a transition to high energy density and high output power. Sulfide solid electrolytes, which show good ionic conductivity and plasticity, have been actively developed with a view toward the applications for all-solid-state batteries in EVs. However, no large-scale manufacturing technology for sulfide solid electrolytes has been established at the level of commercialization, as sulfide solid electrolytes are unstable in the atmosphere and the process for synthesizing and processing them requires atmospheric control. For this reason, there is an urgent need to develop the liquid-phase manufacturing technology of sulfide solid electrolytes that offers low-cost and high scalability.

Li7P3S11 solid electrolytes exhibit high ionic conductivity and thus are one candidate solid electrolyte for all-solid-state batteries. The liquid-phase synthesis of Li7P3S11 generally occurs in an acetonitrile (ACN) reaction solvent via precursors including insoluble compounds. Conventional reaction processes like this take a long time as they go through a kinetically disadvantageous reaction from an insoluble starting material to an insoluble intermediate. Worse, it is possible that the insoluble intermediate creates non-uniformity through a complicated phase formation, leading to an increase in large-scale manufacturing costs.

Against this background, the research group worked on the development of a technology for liquid-phase production of highly ion conductive Li7P3S11 solid electrolytes via uniform precursor solutions. It has been shown that the recently developed method can obtain a uniform precursor solution containing soluble lithium polysulfide (Li2Sx) in just two minutes, by adding Li2S and P2S5, the starting materials of Li7P3S11, and an excessive amount of S to a solvent containing a mixture of ACN, THF and a small amount of EtOH. The key to the rapid synthesis in this method is the formation of lithium polysulfide through the addition of a small amount of EtOH or an excessive amount of S.

To elucidate the mechanism of the reaction in this method, ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy was used to investigate the chemical stability of Li2Sx with and without the added EtOH. The study showed that the presence of EtOH made Li2Sx more chemically stable. Thus, the reaction in this method would take the following steps. First, lithium ions are strongly coordinated with EtOH, a highly polar solvent. Next, shielding polysulfide ions against lithium ions stabilizes highly reactive S3・- radical anions which are a kind of polysulfide. The generated S3・- attacks the P2S5, breaking the cage structure of P2S5 and causing the reaction to progress. The reaction forms lithium thiophosphate which dissolves into a highly soluble mixed solvent containing ACN and THF solvents. This may have helped to obtain uniform precursor solutions very rapidly. The final product, Li7P3S11, could be prepared in two hours without the necessity of ball milling or high energy treatment in the process of reaction.

The ion conductivity of the Li7P3S11 obtained using this method was 1.2 mS cm-1 at 25 °C, higher than the Li7P3S11 synthesized using the conventional liquid-phase synthesis method (0.8 mS cm-1) or ball milling (1.0 mS cm-1). The method proposes a new path for the synthesis of a sulfide solid electrolyte and achieves a large-scale manufacturing technology with low cost.

Future Outlook

The research team believes that the low-cost technology for the large-scale manufacturing of sulfide solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries proposed in this research could be important in the commercialization of EVs equipped with all-solid-state batteries. The research focused on Li7P3S11 for use as a sulfide solid electrolyte. We also want to apply this technology to the synthesis of sulfide solid electrolytes other than Li7P3S11.

You may like to read:            

Study reveals corrosion of magnesium alloys in marine atmospheric environment

Developing an efficient production technique for a novel green fertilizer

PrevPreviousNew aircraft structures production technology has increased their strength
NextEco-Friendly, High-Quality rGO/Silicone Strain Sensors for MonitoringNext

LATEST Blogs

Breakfast and health problems

Skipping Breakfast May Increase a Child’s Risk of Psychosocial Health Problems

September 7, 2022
James webb telescope

NASA’s Webb Space Telescope Captures a Cosmic Tarantula

September 7, 2022

Worse Than Smoking – Bad Sleep Can Worsen Lung Disease

August 31, 2022
Nanotechnology

Dr. Muhammad Adeel Addressed the International Con-ference as keynote speaker

August 23, 2022
Benefits of Mushrooms

Top 10 Health Benefits of Mushrooms, the Ultimate Superfood

August 18, 2022

New Way Invented To Produce Oxygen on Mars for Future Explorers

August 18, 2022

Evidence of Unprecedented Modern Sea-Level Rise Found in Ancient Caves

August 18, 2022

Research Shows Salt Substitutes Lower Risk of Heart Attack/Stroke and Death

August 13, 2022
covid symptoms

Hair Loss and Sexual Dysfunction Join Fatigue and Brain Fog in List of Long COVID Symptoms

August 13, 2022
protein

Most People Are Eating Too Much Protein – And It Has Serious Consequences

August 13, 2022

Categories

  • Scientific Blogs
  • Infinity Explorer
  • Traveler Book
  • Life Around

If you have tried to make a difference and you believe you deserve to be acknowledge, then please submit your story to us

Subscribe

Virtual Green Innovation Hub (VGI-H) is an emerging platform for young researchers which works as a bridge between You and the society.

Useful Links

Home
About us
Blogs

Subscribe Now

Don’t miss our future updates! Get Subscribed Today!

Copyright ©2022 Virtual Green Innovation Hub. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t miss our future updates. Get Subscribed Today!