Composite Materials Processing for Solid State Batteries

Study of synthesis, preparation, and materials processing of new metal oxides films to deliver all Solid State Batteries. This involves the synthesis of solid state electrolyte materials and development of chemistry to form these into thick-film films devices with tailored porosity and electrode interfaces. We use a variety of techniques to characterise these materials over length scales from the interatomic (e.g. x-ray and neutron diffraction), microscopic (electron microscopy) up to the macro scale (surface area measurements). The ultimate aim of this work is a reliable, scalable route to >100g quantities of state-of-the-art solid electrolytes that enable the safe use of metallic lithium in next-generation battery in which all components are in the solid state. This promises a step-change in energy density, a reduction in battery volume and hence will enable large increases in the range of electric automobiles.