High conductivity of mixed phase Al-substituted Li7La3Zr2O12

Al-substituted Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZ:Al) was synthesized via conventional solid state reaction. Different dwell times at sintering temperature of 1200 °C led to a varying Li content in LLZ:Al which significantly affected the Li-ion conductivity. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the sintered pellets which showed a maximum total ionic conductivity of ~3 × 10−4 S cm−1 at room temperature although the samples were composed of cubic and tetragonal LLZ:Al, with the tetragonal phase as its major phase. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy revealed that the Li content steadily decreased from 7.5 to 6.5 Li per formula unit with increasing sintering time. The highest conductivity was observed from the sample with the lowest Li concentration at 6.5 per formula unit. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed the formation of large grains, about 500 μm in diameter, which additionally could be the reason for achieving high total Li-ion conductivity. Electrochemical tests showed that mixed phase LLZ:Al is stable against metallic Li up to 8 V.