Electrolyte for a solid-state battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019207252-A1
Application number	US-201916295673-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 7, 2019
Priority date	Dec 21, 2016
Publication date	Jul 4, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

Electrolyte for a solid-state battery includes a body having grains of inorganic material sintered to one another, where the grains include lithium. The body is thin, has little porosity by volume, and has high ionic conductivity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . Electrolyte for a solid-state battery, comprising:
a body comprising grains of inorganic material sintered to one another, wherein the grains comprise lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide of cubic garnet phase, and wherein the grains sintered to one another have a grain size of 5 μm or less, wherein thickness of the body, between first and second major surfaces thereof, is in a range from about 3 μm to about 1 mm; wherein the body has less than 10% porosity by volume, and wherein most of the porosity of the body is closed porosity, where pores are sealed off, and wherein the body has ionic conductivity of greater than 5×10 −5 S/cm.

2 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein greater than 80% of the body by weight consists of cubic garnet crystals.

3 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide is tantalum- or aluminum-doped.

4 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein the first and second major surfaces are fairly rough such that roughness of the first and second major surfaces is at least 10 nm across a distance of 10 mm in one dimension along the respective major surface.

5 . The electrolyte of claim 4 , wherein the roughness of the first and second major surfaces is no more than 1000 nm across the distance of 10 mm.

6 . The electrolyte of claim 1 , wherein at least some crystal lattices of adjoining grains essentially directly contact one another such that there is less than 5 nm of intermediate amorphous material between the crystal lattices of the adjoining grains.

7 . Electrolyte for a solid-state battery, comprising:
a body comprising ceramic grains sintered to one another, wherein the grains comprise lithium, wherein thickness of the body, between first and second major surfaces thereof, is in a range from about 3 μm to about 1 mm; wherein the first and second major surfaces of the body have an unpolished granular profile such that the profile includes grains protruding outward from the respective major surface with a height of at least 25 nm and no more than 150 μm relative to recessed portions of the respective major surface at boundaries between the respective grains; wherein the body has ionic conductivity greater than 5×10 −5 S/cm.

8 . The electrolyte of claim 7 , wherein fewer than 10 pin holes of a cross-sectional area of at least a square micrometer pass through the body, per square millimeter of surface on average.

9 . Electrolyte for a solid-state battery, comprising:
a body comprising grains of inorganic material sintered to one another, wherein greater than 80% of the body by weight consists of cubic garnet crystals, wherein thickness of the body, between first and second major surfaces thereof, is in a range from about 3 μm to about 1 mm; and wherein the body has ionic conductivity of greater than 5×10 −5 S/cm.

10 . The electrolyte of claim 9 , wherein the grains sintered to one another have a grain size of 5 μm or less.

11 . The electrolyte of claim 9 , wherein the cubic garnet crystals comprise lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide.

12 . The electrolyte of claim 11 , wherein the lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide is tantalum- or aluminum-doped.

13 . The electrolyte of claim 9 , wherein the body has less than 10% porosity by volume.

14 . The electrolyte of claim 13 , wherein most of the porosity of the body is closed porosity, where pores are sealed off.

15 . The electrolyte of claim 9 , wherein at least some crystal lattices of adjoining grains essentially directly contact one another, such that there is less than 5 nm of intermediate amorphous material between the crystal lattices of adjoining grains.

16 . The electrolyte of claim 9 , wherein fewer than 10 pin holes of a cross-sectional area of at least a square micrometer pass through the body, per square millimeter of surface on average.

17 . The electrolyte of claim 9 , wherein the first and second major surfaces are fairly rough such that roughness of the first and second major surfaces is at least 10 nm across a distance of 10 mm in one dimension along the respective major surface.

18 . The electrolyte of claim 17 , wherein the roughness of the first and second major surfaces is no more than 1000 nm across the distance of 10 mm.

19 . Electrolyte for a solid-state battery, comprising:
a body comprising grains of inorganic material sintered to one another, wherein the grains sintered to one another have a grain size of 5 μm or less, wherein the grains comprise lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide of cubic garnet phase, wherein thickness of the body, between first and second major surfaces thereof, is in a range from about 3 μm to about 1 mm; and wherein the body has less than 10% porosity by volume, wherein most of the porosity of the body is closed porosity, where pores are sealed off.

20 . The electrolyte of claim 19 , wherein greater than 80% of the body by weight consists of cubic garnet crystals.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Badding Michael Edward
• Brown Jacqueline Leslie
• Heine Jennifer Anella
• Ketcham Thomas Dale
• Merz Gary Edward
• Miller Eric Lee
• Song Zhen
• Tanner Cameron Wayne
• Walsh Conor James

Classifications

• C09J7/21 Primary

  Paper; Textile fabrics · CPC title

• C09J1/00

  Adhesives based on inorganic constituents · CPC title

• C04B35/48

  based on zirconium or hafnium oxides, zirconates, {zircon} or hafnates · CPC title

• B28B1/30

  by applying the material on to a core or other moulding surface to form a layer thereon (to form a permanent layer B28B19/00) · CPC title

• C04B2235/661

  Multi-step sintering · CPC title