A Convergence of Fast Sintering, Grain Growth Analysis, High Throughput Measurements, and Data Driven Computer Models to Develop New Solid-State Sodium-Ion Battery Materials

Rapidly increasing demand for electric vehicles is straining the supply of battery materials. This need could be met with improved batteries using solid-state electrolytes and alternative battery chemistries. The ADDD-Ions collaborative project is working to combine high throughput electrochemical measurements and data analysis with computational models to predict and develop new sodium-ion solid-state battery materials, in particular electrolytes. These methods are paired with an ultra-fast high-temperature synthesis (UHS) method allowing access to previously theoretical structures with simplified manufacturing steps. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis is used to understand the unique grain growth and microstructure of these materials under fast sintering conditions. Bulk pellets are made using traditional and UHS methods to compare processing effects on the properties of solid-state electrolytes. Thin film samples are used to probe the chemical compositional and structure effects on the ionic conductivity of these materials.