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Grain boundary stability and influence on ionic conductivity in a disordered perovskite—a first-principles investigation of lithium lanthanum titanate

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2016

Kathleen C. Alexander ,
P. Ganesh ,
Miaofang Chi ,
Paul Kent  and
Bobby G. Sumpter
Kathleen C. Alexander*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
P. Ganesh
Affiliation:
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
Miaofang Chi
Affiliation:
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
Paul Kent
Affiliation:
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA Computer Science & Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
Bobby G. Sumpter
Affiliation:
Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA Computer Science & Mathematics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, USA
*
Address all correspondence to Kathleen Alexander, P. Ganesh at katcalex@mit.edu, ganeshp@ornl.gov
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Abstract

The origin of ionic conductivity in bulk lithium lanthanum titanate, a promising solid electrolyte for Li-ion batteries, has long been under debate, with experiments showing lower conductivity than predictions. Using first-principles-based calculations, we find that experimentally observed type I boundaries are more stable compared with the type II grain boundaries, consistent with their observed relative abundance. Grain boundary stability appears to strongly anti-correlate with the field strength as well as the spatial extent of the space charge region. Ion migration is faster along type II grain boundaries than across, consistent with recent experiments of increased conductivity when type II densities were increased.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. 455 - 463
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

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