Structural,electronic,and Li-ion mobility properties of garnet-type Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12) surface:An insight from first-principles calculations

Garnet-type Li_(7)La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12)(LLZO) is a promising solid-state electrolyte for Li-ion batteries,but Li-dendrite's formation greatly limits the applications.In this paper,we systematically investigate the stability,electronic properties,and Li-ion mobility of the LLZO surface by the ifrst-principles calculations.We consider the(110) and(001) slab structures with different terminations in the t-and c-LLZO.Our results indicate that both(110) and(001) surfaces prefer to form Li-rich termination due to their low surface energies for either t-or c-LLZO.Moreover,with the decrease of Li contents the stability of Li-rich surfaces is improved initially and degrades later.Unfortunately,the localized surface states at the Fermi level can induce the formation of metallic Li on the Li-rich surfaces.In comparison,Li/La-termination has a relatively low metallic Li formation tendency due to its rather low diffusion barrier.In fact,Li-ion can spontaneously migrate along path II(Li3→Li2) on the Li/La-T(001) surface.In contrast,it is more difficult for Li-ion diffusion on the Li-T(001) surface,which has a minimum diffusion barrier of 0.50 eV.Interestingly,the minimum diffusion barrier decreases to 0.34 eV when removing four Li-ions from the Li-T(001) surface.Thus,our study suggests that by varying Li contents,the stability and Li-ion diffusion barrier of LLZO surfaces can be altered favorably.These advantages can inhibit the formation of metallic Li on the LLZO surfaces.

Configurational entropy-induced phase transition in spinel LiMn_(2)O_(4)

The spinel-type LiMn_(2)O_(4) is a promising candidate as cathode material for rechargeable Li-ion batteries due to its good thermal stability and safety.Experimentally,it is observed that in this compound there occur the structural phase transitions from cubic(Fd3m)to tetragonal(I4_(1)/amd)phase at slightly below room temperature.To understand the phase transition mechanism,we compare the Gibbs free energy between cubic phase and tetragonal phase by including the configurational entropy.Our results show that the configurational entropy contributes substantially to the stability of the cubic phase at room temperature due to the disordered Mn^(3+)/Mn^(4+)distribution as well as the orientation of the Jahn-Teller elongation of the Mn^(3+)O_(6) octahedron in the the spinel phase.Meanwhile,the phase transition temperature is predicted to be 267.8 K,which is comparable to the experimentally observed temperature.These results serve as a good complement to the experimental study,and are beneficial to the improving of the electrochemical performance of LiMn_(2)O_(4) cathode.