Stabilizing garnet-type solid-state electrolytes through atomic layer deposition of ultra-thin layered materials and methods of making same
A method of stabilizing a garnet-type solid-state electrolyte (SSE) includes obtaining pellets of SSE, removing surface impurities of the SSE, and depositing a passivation layer onto the SSE after the surface impurities are removed, the passivation layer including two of boron, carbon, and nitrogen.
1 . A method of stabilizing a garnet-type solid-state electrolyte (SSE), comprising: obtaining pellets of SSE; removing surface impurities of the SSE; and depositing a passivation layer of boron nitride (BN) comprising dangling boron bonds onto the SSE, after the surface impurities are removed, using precursor materials including tris(dimethylamino)borane (TDMAB) and ammonia (NH 3 ) via alternating exposures of TDMAB and NH 3 for a predetermined number of cycles.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising positioning lithium on the passivation layer.
3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising at least one of:
heating the lithium to at least 220° C.; and
heating the lithium for at least one hour.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising coating a cathode composite material onto the passivation layer.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the passivation layer comprises hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN).
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the surface impurities further comprises Argon ion sputtering a surface of the SSE.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the Argon ion sputtering is at 227° C.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein removing the surface impurities further comprises annealing a surface of the SSE.
9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a BN x O y layer between the passivation layer of BN and the SSE.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the passivation layer comprises depositing 3 nm of thickness of the passivation layer.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the passivation layer further comprises depositing the passivation layer through atomic layer deposition (ALD).
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined number of cycles is between 3 and 20 cycles.
13 . A lithium battery, comprising:
a garnet-type solid-state electrolyte (SSE);
a passivation layer on the SSE;
an interface layer of BN x O y disposed between the passivation layer and the SSE;
a cathode composite positioned on the passivation layer; and
wherein the passivation layer comprises a boron nitride (BN) film with dangling boron bonds.
14 . The lithium battery of claim 13 , wherein the BN film comprises atomic layer deposited hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN).
15 . The lithium battery of claim 13 , wherein the passivation layer has a thickness of 3 nm.
16 . The lithium battery of claim 13 , wherein at least one of:
the SSE includes Li 6.5 La 3 Zr 1.5 Ta 0.5 O 12 (LLZT); and
the cathode composite comprises LiFePO 4 (LFP).
17 . The lithium battery of claim 13 , further comprising a lithium metal anode.
18 . A method of stabilizing a garnet-type solid-state electrolyte (SSE), comprising:
providing pellets of SSE;
removing surface impurities of the SSE;
depositing a passivation layer onto the SSE after the surface impurities are removed, the passivation layer including a boron nitride (BN) film with dangling boron bonds; and
forming a BN x O y interface between the passivation layer and the SSE.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the passivation layer is deposited using precursor materials including tris(dimethylamino)borane (TDMAB) and ammonia (NH 3 ) via alternating exposures of TDMAB and NH 3 for a predetermined number of cycles.