3D‐Printing Electrolytes for Solid‐State Batteries. Issue 18 (25th March 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: McOwen, Dennis W.; Xu, Shaomao; Gong, Yunhui; Wen, Yang; Godbey, Griffin L.; Gritton, Jack E.; Hamann, Tanner R.; Dai, Jiaqi; Hitz, Gregory T.; Hu, Liangbing; Wachsman, Eric D.
• Is Part Of: Advanced materials. Volume 30:Issue 18(2018)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2018-03-25
• Subjects: 3D printing -- additive manufacturing -- lithium metal -- solid electrolytes -- solid‐state batteries; Materials -- Periodicals; Chemical vapor deposition -- Periodicals; 620.11
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201707132
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0935-9648

Abstract

Abstract: Solid‐state batteries have many enticing advantages in terms of safety and stability, but the solid electrolytes upon which these batteries are based typically lead to high cell resistance. Both components of the resistance (interfacial, due to poor contact with electrolytes, and bulk, due to a thick electrolyte) are a result of the rudimentary manufacturing capabilities that exist for solid‐state electrolytes. In general, solid electrolytes are studied as flat pellets with planar interfaces, which minimizes interfacial contact area. Here, multiple ink formulations are developed that enable 3D printing of unique solid electrolyte microstructures with varying properties. These inks are used to 3D‐print a variety of patterns, which are then sintered to reveal thin, nonplanar, intricate architectures composed only of Li7 La3 Zr2 O12 solid electrolyte. Using these 3D‐printing ink formulations to further study and optimize electrolyte structure could lead to solid‐state batteries with dramatically lower full cell resistance and higher energy and power density. In addition, the reported ink compositions could be used as a model recipe for other solid electrolyte or ceramic inks, perhaps enabling 3D printing in related fields. Abstract : Multiple 3D‐printing inks are developed for Li7 La3 Zr2 O12 garnet electrolytes to explore 3D interfacial microstructures for solid‐state batteries. These ink formulations can be applied to other solid electrolytes and serve as a launch pad for rapidly exploring the effect of solid electrolyte structure on battery performance, potentially leading to solid‐state batteries with dramatically lower cell resistance and higher energy and power density.