Percolative Channels for Superionic Conduction in an Amorphous Conductor

All-solid-state batteries greatly rely on high-performance solid electrolytes. However, the bottlenecks in solid electrolytes are their low ionic conductivity and stability. Here we report a new series of amorphous xAgI·(1–x)Ag3PS4 (x = 0∼0.8 with interval of 0.1) conductors, among which the sample with x = 0.8 exhibits the highest ionic conductivity (about 1.1 × 10–2 S cm-1) and ultrahigh chemical stability. We discovered the existence of mixed disordered Ag3PS4 and AgI clusters in the amorphous conductors using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The high ionic conductivity was ascribed to the formation of the interconnecting AgI clusters, i.e., the percolative channels for superionic conduction. The composition dependence of the ionic conductivity for this series of amorphous conductors was clarified by a continuum percolation model. These findings provide fundamental guidance for designing and fabricating high-performance amorphous solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries

Percolative Channels for Superionic Conduction in an Amorphous Conductor

All-solid-state batteries greatly rely on high-performance solid electrolytes. However, the bottlenecks in solid electrolytes are their low ionic conductivity and stability. Here we report a new series of amorphous xAgI·(1–x)Ag3PS4 (x = 0∼0.8 with interval of 0.1) conductors, among which the sample with x = 0.8 exhibits the highest ionic conductivity (about 1.1 × 10–2 S cm-1) and ultrahigh chemical stability. We discovered the existence of mixed disordered Ag3PS4 and AgI clusters in the amorphous conductors using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The high ionic conductivity was ascribed to the formation of the interconnecting AgI clusters, i.e., the percolative channels for superionic conduction. The composition dependence of the ionic conductivity for this series of amorphous conductors was clarified by a continuum percolation model. These findings provide fundamental guidance for designing and fabricating high-performance amorphous solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries

Metal-Organic Framework Glasses with Permanent Accessible Porosity

To date, only several microporous, and even fewer nanoporous, glasses have been produced, always via post synthesis acid treatment of phase separated dense materials, e.g. Vycor glass. In comparison, high internal surface areas are readily achieved in crystalline materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). It has recently been discovered that a new family of melt quenched glasses can be produced from MOFs, though they have thus far have lacked the accessible and intrinsic porosity of their crystalline precursors. Here, we report the first glasses that are permanently, and reversibly porous toward incoming gases, without post synthetic treatment. We characterized the structure of these glasses using a range of experimental techniques, and demonstrate pores in the 4-8 angstrom range. The discovery of MOF-glasses with permanent accessible porosity reveals a new category of porous glass materials, that are potentially elevated beyond conventional inorganic and organic porous glasses, by their diversity and tunability