Enhancing the stability of lithium ion Li1+x+yAlxTi2−xSiyP3−yO12 glass - ceramic conductors in aqueous electrolytes

The stability of NASICON-type conducting glass-ceramic electrolyte, Li1+x+yAlxTi2−xSiyP3−yO12 (Ohara LICGC) has been characterized after prolonged exposure to deionized water and HCl(aq) solutions supported with LiCl. X-ray diffraction shows that the bulk crystallographic structure of the LICGC membranes remains unchanged when exposed to these solutions. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) shows that the conductivity of LICGC membranes immersed in deionized water remains stable over a one month period, while there is a significant increase in resistance when exposed to the acidic solutions. When exposed to pH 4 and 2 solutions for just 24 h, the resistances of the LICGC membrane increase by a factor of 8.5 and 23.5, respectively. EIS coupled with morphological characterization by scanning electron microscopy, shows that this resistance growth is due to the development of a surface layer on the LICGC membrane. However, this substantial increase in resistance can be mitigated by adding LiCl to the HCl solutions. For a pH 4 solution supported with 6.75 M LiCl, the impedance spectrum and surface morphology are qualitatively comparable to pristine, dry LICGC material, suggesting that surface layer formation was suppressed. This was also confirmed via cyclic voltammetry measurements in four-electrode electrochemical cells.