Reactive sintering of ceramic lithium-ion solid electrolytes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12463243-B2
Application number	US-202519010754-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 6, 2025
Priority date	Nov 29, 2011
Publication date	Nov 4, 2025
Grant date	Nov 4, 2025

Abstract

Solid lithium-ion ceramic electrolyte membranes have an average thickness of less than 200 micrometers. A constituent electrolyte material has an average grain size of less than 10 micrometers. The solid lithium-ion ceramic electrolyte is free-standing. Alternatively, solid lithium-ion electrolyte membranes have a composition represented by Li 1+x−y M x M′ 2−x−y M″ y (PO 4 ) 3 , where M is a 3 + ion, M′ is a 4 + ion, M″ is a 5 + ion, 0≤x≤2 and 0≤y≤2.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A solid electrolyte, comprising:
a lithium-containing ceramic membrane configured to conduct lithium-ions, wherein the ceramic is sintered; an average thickness of the membrane of less than 100 μm; an area of a major surface of the membrane is at least 5.07 cm 2 ; an average grain size of less than 10 μm of the sintered ceramic, and wherein the membrane is unsupported by a substrate and is free-standing.

2 . The solid electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the average thickness of the membrane is at least 30 μm.

3 . The solid electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein a conductivity of the membrane is greater than 10 −4 S/cm.

4 . The solid electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein an average grain size of the sintered ceramic is less than 1 μm.

5 . The solid electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein membrane is hermetic such that the solid lithium-ion electrolyte membrane is configured to provide a barrier between an anode and a cathode of a battery substantially impervious to diffusion of liquids or gasses therein.

6 . A solid electrolyte, comprising:
a lithium-containing ceramic configured to conduct lithium-ions between an anode and a cathode; wherein the ceramic is sintered and has an average grain size of less than 10 micrometers; wherein the solid electrolyte has a thickness less than 150 micrometers; wherein conductivity the of the solid electrolyte is at least 10 −4 S/cm; and wherein the solid electrolyte is self-supporting such that the solid electrolyte is free-standing and unsupported by a substrate.

7 . The solid electrolyte of claim 6 , wherein the solid electrolyte has a thickness of less than 50 micrometers.

8 . The solid electrolyte of claim 7 , wherein the solid electrolyte has a thickness as thin as 30 micrometers.

9 . The solid electrolyte of claim 8 , wherein the sintered ceramic has an average grain size less than 1 micrometer.

10 . The solid electrolyte of claim 9 , wherein the conductivity is at least 2×10 −4 S/cm.

11 . The solid electrolyte of claim 10 , wherein the solid electrolyte has a density of at least 95% of full theoretical density thereof.

12 . The solid electrolyte of claim 11 , wherein the lithium-containing ceramic is aluminum doped.

13 . The solid electrolyte of claim 11 , wherein the solid electrolyte is a hermetic membrane.

14 . A solid electrolyte, comprising:
a lithium-containing ceramic configured to conduct lithium-ions between an anode and a cathode; wherein the ceramic is sintered and has an average grain size of less than 10 micrometers; wherein the solid electrolyte has a thickness less than 150 micrometers; wherein conductivity the of the solid electrolyte is at least 10 −4 S/cm; and wherein the solid electrolyte has a density of at least 95% of full theoretical density thereof.

15 . The solid electrolyte of claim 14 , wherein the density is at least 98%.

16 . The solid electrolyte of claim 15 , wherein the solid electrolyte is a hermetic membrane.

17 . The solid electrolyte of claim 15 , wherein the solid electrolyte has a thickness of less than 50 micrometers.

18 . The solid electrolyte of claim 17 , wherein the solid electrolyte has a thickness as thin as 30 micrometers.

19 . The solid electrolyte of claim 17 , wherein the ceramic has an average grain size less than 1 micrometer.

20 . The solid electrolyte of claim 19 , wherein the conductivity is at least 2×10 −4 S/cm.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Aitken Bruce Gardiner
• Badding Michael Edward
• Beall George Halsey
• Fekety Curtis Robert
• Kester Lanrik Wayne
• Morena Robert Michael
• Song Zhen

Classifications

• H01M10/0562 Primary

  Solid materials · CPC title

• C04B2235/785

  Submicron sized grains, i.e. from 0,1 to 1 micron · CPC title

• C04B2235/77

  Density · CPC title

• C04B2235/5454

  nanometer sized, i.e. below 100 nm · CPC title

• C04B2235/5445

  submicron sized, i.e. from 0,1 to 1 micron · CPC title