Ionic transport in solid-state composite poly(trimethylene carbonate)-Li6.7Al0.3La3Zr2O12 electrolytes: The interplay between surface chemistry and ceramic particle loading

The ionic transport in solid-state composite electrolytes based on poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) with LiTFSI salt and garnet-type ion-conducting Li6.7Al0.3-La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) ceramic particles is here investigated for a range of different compositions. Positive effects on ionic conductivity have previously been reported for LLZO incorporated into poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), but the origin of these effects is unclear since the inclusion of particles also affects polymer crystallinity. PTMC is, in contrast to PEO, a fully amorphous polymer, and therefore here chosen for the design of a more straight-forward composite electrolyte (CPE) system to study ionic transport. With LLZO loadings ranging from 5 to 70 wt%, the CPE with 30 wt% of LLZO exhibits the highest ionic conductivity with a cationic transference number of 0.94 at 60 degrees C. This is significantly higher than for the pristine PTMC polymer electrolyte. Generally, low to moderate LLZO loadings display a gradual increase of the ionic conductivity, transference number and also of the polymer-cation coordination number. The combined contributions of ionic transport along polymer-ceramic interfaces and Lewis acid-base interaction between the LLZO particles and the LiTFSI salt can explain this enhancement. With loadings of LLZO above 50 wt%, a detrimental effect on the ionic conductivity was however observed. This could be explained by agglomeration of ceramic particles, and by a partial coverage of LLZO particles with a Li2CO3 layer. Consequently, inner polymer-particle interfaces become more resistive, and Li+conduction is prevented along interfacial pathways. The presence of Li2CO3 has more detrimental impact at higher LLZO loadings, since inter-particle connectivity will be hampered, and this is vital for efficient ionic transport. This suggests that there is an interplay between the LLZO particle surface chemistry with its loading, which ultimately controls the Li-ion transport.