Room temperature all-solid-state lithium batteries based on a soluble organic cage ionic conductor

All solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) are poised to have higher energy density and better safety than current liquid-based Li-ion batteries, but a central requirement is effective ionic conduction pathways throughout the entire cell. Here we develop a catholyte based on an emerging class of porous materials, porous organic cages (POCs). A key feature of these Li⁺ conducting POCs is their solution-processibility. They can be dissolved in a cathode slurry, which allows the fabrication of solid-state cathodes using the conventional slurry coating method. These Li⁺ conducting cages recrystallize and grow on the surface of the cathode particles during the coating process and are therefore dispersed uniformly in the slurry-coated cathodes to form a highly effective ion-conducting network. This catholyte is shown to be compatible with cathode active materials such as LiFePO₄, LiCoO₂ and LiNi_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3O₂, and results in SSLBs with decent electrochemical performance at room temperature.