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Room-temperature superionic-phase nanocrystals synthesized with a twinned lattice
Jianxiao Gong1, Prashant K Jain2,3,4,5
1Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA.
Nature Communications
|July 25, 2019
Summary
We demonstrate tunable preparation of cuprous sulfide nanocrystals with controlled internal structures. Twinning in these nanocrystals alters phase transitions, enabling superionic phase stability at lower temperatures for battery applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Solid-State Chemistry
Background:
- Nanoscale engineering allows tuning of solid-state material properties.
- Cuprous sulfide (Cu2S) is an earth-abundant mineral with potential applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate tunable preparation of cuprous sulfide nanocrystals with controlled internal structures.
- To investigate the effect of internal structure on phase transition characteristics.
- To explore applications in solid electrolytes for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of cuprous sulfide nanocrystals via in-situ oxidation.
- Controlled growth to achieve varying degrees of copper deficiency.
- Characterization of single-domain and multi-domain nanocrystal structures.
- Analysis of crystallographic phase and phase transition temperatures.
Main Results:
- Tunable preparation of cuprous sulfide nanocrystals from single-domain to multi-domain structures.
- Copper deficiency induces spontaneous twinning, forming multi-domain structures.
- Twinned nanocrystals exhibit altered phase transition temperatures compared to single-domain counterparts.
- The superionic phase in twinned 7 nm cuprous sulfide nanocrystals is stable well below ambient temperature, unlike bulk material.
Conclusions:
- Twinning serves as a structural design element for nanoscale materials.
- Altered phase transition properties of twinned cuprous sulfide nanocrystals are suitable for solid electrolyte applications.
- This work enables the use of earth-abundant cuprous sulfide in advanced energy storage devices like Li-S batteries.
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