Abstract
We fabricated amorphous Li-Nb-O films by a sol-gel method. The Li+ conductivities of Li-Nb-O films were analyzed by ac impedance spectroscopy after annealing at 300 to 450 °C. The highest Li+ conductivity and lowest activation energy were measured in Li-Nb-O films annealed at 400 °C. Films annealed at 450 °C were crystallized to form the non-Li+-conductive trigonal LiNbO3 structure. Raman spectroscopy measurements revealed that Li-Nb-O films annealed at 400 °C had aligned NbO6 octahedra in the structures, although LiNbO3 crystals were undetectable by X-ray diffraction. Additionally, it was found that Li-Nb-O films were preferentially crystallized near the Pt electrode surfaces rather than the quartz surfaces. Hence, Pt nanoparticles (NPs) were pre-deposited on quartz substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) before spin-coating of Li-Nb-O films to investigate the effect of small LiNbO3 crystals on the Li+ conductivity. After annealing, the Li-Nb-O films fabricated on Pt-decorated quartz substrates exhibited higher Li+ conductivity and lower activation energy in the in-plane direction compared to films on quartz substrates. Thus, it was considered that the amorphous/LiNbO3 crystal interfaces played an important role in fast Li+ conduction. Although the mechanism of Li+ conduction in the amorphous/crystal interfacial regions was not well understood, we suggest that reduced attraction between Li+ and the terminal oxygen of NbO6 octahedra in the amorphous/crystal interfacial regions contributed to fast Li+ conduction.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 13-18 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Solid State Ionics |
Volume | 285 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2016 Feb 1 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Amorphous
- Li ion
- LiNbO
- Sol-gel method
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemistry(all)
- Materials Science(all)
- Condensed Matter Physics