Defect chemistry and electrical properties of garnet-type LiLaZrO.

Garnet-type cubic LiLaZrO exhibits one of the highest lithium-ion conductivity values amongst oxides (up to ∼2 mS cm at room temperature). This compound has also emerged as a promising candidate for solid electrolytes in all-solid-state lithium batteries, due to its high ionic conductivity, good chemical stability against lithium metal, and wide electrochemical stability window. Defect chemistry of this class of materials, although less studied, is critical to the understanding of the nature of ionic conductivity and predicting the properties of grain boundaries and heterogeneous solid interfaces.

A Rayleighian approach for modeling kinetics of ionic transport in polymeric media.

We report a theoretical approach for analyzing impedance of ionic liquids (ILs) and charged polymers such as polymerized ionic liquids (PolyILs) within linear response. The approach is based on the Rayleigh dissipation function formalism, which provides a computational framework for a systematic study of various factors, including polymer dynamics, in affecting the impedance. We present an analytical expression for the impedance within linear response by constructing a one-dimensional model for ionic transport in ILs/PolyILs.

Solvation behavior of carbonate-based electrolytes in sodium ion batteries.

Sodium ion batteries are on the cusp of being a commercially available technology. Compared to lithium ion batteries, sodium ion batteries can potentially offer an attractive dollar-per-kilowatt-hour value, though at the penalty of reduced energy density. As a materials system, sodium ion batteries present a unique opportunity to apply lessons learned in the study of electrolytes for lithium ion batteries; specifically, the behavior of the sodium ion in an organic carbonate solution and the relationship of ion solvation with electrode surface passivation.