Solid electrolyte composed of nanoparticles shows promise for all-solid-state batteries

Often overlooked, batteries play an important role in modern life, powering small devices like smartphones and larger ones like electric vehicles. The key to creating sustainable batteries is to hold a charge longer, make them last longer with more charging cycles, and make them safer. That’s why solid-state batteries hold so much promise.

The problem is discovering which solid electrolytes offer these potential benefits.

Moving towards this goal, a research group at Osaka Metropolitan University, led by Assistant Professor Kota Motohashi, Associate Professor Atsushi Sakuda, and Professor Akitoshi Hayashi of the Graduate School of Engineering, has developed an electrolyte with high conductivity, deformability, and electrochemical stability.

The results were published in Chemistry of materials.

The group achieved high conductivity at room temperature by adding Ta₂ABOUT₅ (tantalum pentoxide) to the previously developed solid electrolyte NaTaCl₆a combination of tantalum chloride and sodium chloride.

Discovered solid electrolyte Na_2.25TaCl_4.75ABOUT_1.25it also has higher electrochemical stability than conventional chlorides and excellent mechanical properties.

“The results of this research are expected to make a significant contribution to the development of complex solid electrolytes, in addition to the glass and crystal solid electrolytes that have been developed to date,” suggested Professor Motohashi.

“We will now focus on elucidating the ion conduction mechanism of composite solid electrolytes and further developing materials.”