Ionic liquid composites with garnet-type Li6. 75Al0. 25La3Zr2O12: Stability, electrical transport, and potential for energy storage applications

Abstract

Garnet composites with ionic liquid dispersion have been prepared for electrolytic applications. Various ionic liquids (ILs) in small amounts were added to garnet type Li6.75Al0.25La3Zr2O12 (LALZO) to improve its ionic conductivity and electrode-electrolyte interfacial compatibility. The optimal composition having ∼6 wt% EMIM BF4 in LALZO showed a high ionic conductivity of 6 × 10-4 Ω-1cm-1 at room temperature, which is almost two orders of magnitude higher than the pristine garnet pellet. Such a high conductivity is attributed to the alteration of the ionic liquid-garnet interface by a weak non-uniform chemisorption. The thermal stability of the composites was confirmed by high-temperature X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic electrical transport measurements, which suggested their stability at least up to 200 °C. The electrochemical performance of the composite was evaluated by assembling 2032-type LFP//LALZO-IL//Li cell, which displayed promising candidature for energy storage applications.