DOE OSTI · 3424885
Amorphous ZrCl 4 -Based Superionic Conductor as a Cost-Effective Solid Electrolyte for Batteries
Abstract
Developing highly conductive and cost-effective solid electrolytes is essential for the commercialization of all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs). Zr-based halide electrolytes hold great promise due to their low estimated cost and high oxidation stability. However, the ionic conductivities of most of them are not high enough to enable moderate- and high-rate cycling of ASSBs. Here, fast ion transport is achieved in a group of cost-effective ZrCl 4 -based electrolytes via a design strategy to create highly disordered amorphous structures. Amorphous Li 0.8 ZrCl 4 (SO 4 ) 0.4 , with a low estimated cost of $21 kg –1 , achieves an ionic conductivity of 1.86 mS cm –1 at 25 °C. It also shows a high oxidation limit of 4.5 V vs Li/Li + and good compatibility with high-voltage cathodes, as demonstrated by the stable cycling of ASSBs (73.7% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 1 C). Synchrotron X-ray diffraction, pair distribution function analysis, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveal that the outstanding conductivity of these amorphous electrolytes is closely related to their short-range and medium-range ordering, revealing new insights for designing high-performance, cost-effective solid electrolytes.
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Zhang, Guangxing [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)], Liu, Zhantao [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000310726457), Ma, Yifan [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)], Pepas, Jakub [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)], Xu, Hang [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)], Cai, Rui [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)], Xia, Shuman [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)], Ding, Yong [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)], Bai, Jianming [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000205752987), Zhong, Hui [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)], Tang, Yuanzhi [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000277418646), Chen, Hailong [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000182832860). 2026-07-28. Amorphous ZrCl 4 -Based Superionic Conductor as a Cost-Effective Solid Electrolyte for Batteries. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.6c01352
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