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Outward Charge-Enriched Boundaries Stabilize Halide-Sulfide Solid-Electrolyte Interfaces
Qingkun Zhu1, Wenrui Hu1, Fenghua Zheng2
1Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Battery Materials, School of Metallurgy and Environment, Central South University, Changsha410083, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Halide-sulfide bilayer electrolytes offer a practical route toward all-solid-state lithium batteries by combining the high-voltage compatibility of halide electrolytes with the favorable interfacial contact and Li+-transport characteristics of sulfide interlayers. However, the intrinsic chemical incompatibility between the halide Li3InCl6 (LIC) and the sulfide Li6PS5Cl (LPSC) drives persistent In-centric interfacial reconstruction, leading to continuous impedance growth and electrochemical decay. Across an investigated Li3In1-xYxCl6 series (nominal x = 0.05-0.20), we show that the nominal x = 0.10 composition generates an outward charge-enriched boundary on the outer Cl- sublattice, markedly improving interfacial compatibility. This localized electronic feature smooths the electrostatic landscape for Li+ migration, increases the room-temperature ionic conductivity to 1.5 mS cm-1, and effectively suppresses the sustained inward propagation of sulfide-associated interfacial reconstruction. As a result, the corresponding halide/sulfide interface develops a much shallower and more spatially confined reconstruction layer. All-solid-state cells based on the optimized chloride electrolyte deliver a specific capacity of 175 mAh g-1 at 1C, with about 88.2% capacity retention after 1000 cycles. These findings establish outward charge-boundary engineering as a route to simultaneously improve bulk ion transport and suppress interfacial degradation in reactive halide-sulfide solid electrolytes.
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