Unparalleled lithium and sodium superionic conduction in solid electrolytes with large monovalent cage-like anions

Abstract

Solid electrolytes with sufficiently high conductivities and stabilities are the elusive answer to the inherent shortcomings of organic liquid electrolytes prevalent in today's rechargeable batteries. We recently revealed a novel fast-ion-conducting sodium salt, Na₂B₁₂H₁₂, which contains large, icosahedral, divalent B₁₂H₁₂²⁻ anions that enable impressive superionic conductivity, albeit only above its 529 K phase transition. Its lithium congener, Li₂B₁₂H₁₂, possesses an even more technologically prohibitive transition temperature above 600 K. Here we show that the chemically related LiCB₁₁H₁₂ and NaCB₁₁H₁₂ salts, which contain icosahedral, monovalent CB₁₁H₁₂⁻ anions, both exhibit much lower transition temperatures near 400 K and 380 K, respectively, and truly stellar ionic conductivities (>0.1 S cm⁻¹) unmatched by any other known polycrystalline materials at these temperatures. With proper modifications, we are confident that room-temperature-stabilized superionic salts incorporating such large polyhedral anion building blocks are attainable, thus enhancing their future prospects as practical electrolyte materials in next-generation, all-solid-state batteries.