The origin of chemical inhomogeneity in garnet electrolytes and its impact on the electrochemical performance

Professor Rob Weatherup, in association with Imperial College, University of Manchester, The Faraday Institution and HarwellXPS, addressed the issue of extended defects in the solid electrolyte induced by chemical and/or structural inhomogeneities, which can lead to uneven current distribution and impact on the performance of an all-solid-state battery.

In this paper, published in Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Professor Weatherup and his colleagues used complementary surface analysis techniques with varying analysis depths to probe chemical distribution within grains and grain boundaries at the surface and in the bulk of garnet-type electrolytes to explain their electrochemical performance.

This study shows that morphology, post-treatments and storage conditions can greatly affect the surface chemical distribution of grains and grain boundaries.  Understanding these properties will help inform chemo-mechanical stability.