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中国物理学会期刊

固态电解质LLTO晶界中Li+输运性质的分子动力学研究

CSTR: 32037.14.aps.75.20251641

Molecular dynamics study of Li+ transport properties in solid electrolyte LLTO grain boundary

CSTR: 32037.14.aps.75.20251641
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  • 钙钛矿型锂离子固态电解质锂镧钛氧(Li3xLa2/3–xTiO3, LLTO)由于较宽的工作电压范围, 在固态锂电池研究中引起特别关注. 固态电解质通常为多晶态, 因而探究晶界对固态电解质材料性能的影响至关重要. 本文采用分子动力学模拟方法对贫锂相P-Σ5(210), P-Σ5(310), P-Σ13(510)和富锂相R-Σ5(210), R-Σ5(310), R-Σ13(510)这6种LLTO晶界进行研究, 深入探究LLTO晶界中的Li+输运特性. 研究结果表明, 不管是贫锂相还是富锂相, Σ5(210)晶界的形成能最低. 相比于LLTO体相, Li+在LLTO晶界中呈现出更低的均方位移, 更小的迁移能垒以及更低的离子电导率. 这说明晶界的存在阻碍了Li+的扩散, 且相对于平行于晶界方向的输运, Li+沿垂直于晶界方向的输运更为受阻. 尽管Li+在LLTO晶界区域扩散受阻, 但随着晶界区域Li离子浓度的增加, Li+的扩散速率均得到不同程度的提升. Li+在LLTO各晶界中的运动轨迹为: Li+先倾向于在晶界区域内输运, 随后逐渐扩散到体相区域, 最后形成类似于LLTO体相所呈现的二维运动轨迹. 本研究结果将有助于加深晶界对Li+输运性质影响的理解.

     

    Perovskite Li3xLa2/3–xTiO3 (LLTO) has been investigated as a Li-ion solid electrolyte material and has attracted significant attention due to its wide operating voltage range. Polycrystalline and grain boundaries (GBs) are a common structural motif found in ceramic oxides. So, GBs can have a significant influence on the material properties. Here, we conduct a molecular dynamics (MD) study that quantifies the effect of LLTO GBs on Li-ion transport. We examine six types of LLTO GBs, including P-Σ5(210), P-Σ5(310), P-Σ13(510) in the Li-poor phase and R-Σ5(210), R-Σ5(310), R-Σ13(510) in the Li-rich phase. We also consider the LLTO bulk for comparison. The results show that the grain boundary formation energies of the six GBs are all below 1.30 J/m2, indicating the presence of a high concentration of GBs in polycrystalline LLTO. It is likely to find a highest concentration of Σ5(210) GB due to its lowest formation energy (1.00 J/m2 for P-Σ5(210) and 0.89 J/m2 for R-Σ5(210)). Compared with Li+ ions in the bulk LLTO, Li+ ions in the six GBs exhibit a lower mean squared displacement (MSD), a smaller migration energy barrier and a lower ionic conductivity. These results confirm that the LLTO GBs hinder Li+ transport. For bulk LLTO, the Li+ migration barrier is determined to be 0.30 eV (Li-poor phase) and 0.26 eV (Li-rich phase). In comparison, the migration barrier of LLTO GBs exhibits a slight decrease in Li-poor phase (0.32–0.37 eV) and Li-rich phase (0.27–0.31 eV). The computed Li-ion conductivities of the six GBs are 1 to 2 orders of magnitude lower than those of the corresponding bulk counterparts. Of the six GBs, P-Σ13(510) exhibits the highest Li+ conductivity of 4.76×10–5 S/cm in the Li-poor phase, whereas R-Σ5(310) shows the maximum Li+ conductivity of 1.31×10–3 S/cm in the Li-rich phase. Furthermore, the peak Li+ conductivity in the Li-rich phase is much higher than that in the Li-poor phase. In addition, Li+ transport perpendicular to the GB (i.e. from grain to grain) is more hindered than that along the GB. Nevertheless, the Li+ diffusion can be improved by increasing the Li content in the GB region. The Li+ diffusion maps can be visualized by analyzing the Li+ trajectories of the MD simulations. We find that Li+ transport is first restricted to the GB region, then gradually turns to the bulk region, and finally forms a two-dimensional diffusion path similar to that of the LLTO bulk. Furthermore, the Li+ diffusion strongly depends on the distribution of O ions in LLTO GBs. For example, in the Li-poor-phase P-Σ5(310) GB, the number of O ions in the GB region is greater than that in the bulk region, which indicates that a Li-O attractive interaction in the GB region is stronger, thereby hindering the formation and transport of Li+ to the bulk region. Overall, these atomic-scale insights deepen our understanding of LLTO GBs and their influence on Li+ transport.

     

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