Stabilizing High-Temperature α-Li₃PS₄ by Rapidly Heating the Glass

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-state Chemistry
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• High-temperature metastable phases often possess superior properties compared to their thermodynamically stable counterparts at room temperature.
• Stabilizing metastable phases at room temperature is challenging, particularly for the high-temperature α-Li₃PS₄ phase, despite methods like compositional optimization and glass-ceramics.
• The development of advanced materials relies on exploring and controlling nonequilibrium states.

Purpose of the Study:

• To achieve room-temperature stabilization of the high-temperature α-Li₃PS₄ phase.
• To investigate the potential of rapid heating crystallization for preparing metastable materials.
• To evaluate the ionic conductivity of the stabilized α-Li₃PS₄ phase for potential applications.

Main Methods:

• Rapid heating of lithium thiophosphate (Li₃PS₄) glass to induce crystallization.
• Characterization of the crystallized phases to confirm the stabilization of the α-Li₃PS₄ phase at room temperature.
• Measurement of ionic conductivity of the resulting material.

Main Results:

• Successfully stabilized the metastable α-Li₃PS₄ phase at room temperature, bypassing the formation of the β-Li₃PS₄ phase.
• The obtained material exhibited high ionic conductivity exceeding 10^-3 S cm^-1 at room temperature.
• Rapid heating crystallization effectively overcame thermodynamic limitations in preparing metastable crystals.

Conclusions:

• Rapid heating of Li₃PS₄ glass is a viable method for stabilizing the high-temperature α-Li₃PS₄ phase at room temperature.
• The metastable α-Li₃PS₄ electrolyte shows promise for high-performance applications due to its superior ionic conductivity.
• Exploiting nonequilibrium states offers a pathway for designing advanced functional materials.