As research into solid-state lithium batteries continues, researchers at Belgium’s Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) say they’ve found a new solid material, LTPS, in which lithium can travel more easily than in any other solid electrolyte. The results are published in the scientific journal Chem from Cell Press.

Lithium ions are much less mobile in solid materials than in conventional liquid elecrolytes, which limits battery performance in terms of charge and discharge rate. So far, researchers have yet to find a solid electrolyte material that is stable and doesn’t hamper battery efficiency.

The UCLouvain researchers say the material they discovered, LiTi₂(PS₄)₃ or LTPS, enjoyed the highest lithium diffusion coefficient (a measure of lithium mobility) ever measured in a solid. The enhanced mobility, researchers say, comes from the unique crystalline structure of the atoms in LTPS.

This research is in collaboration with Toyota, which financially and technologically supports the project.

Source: UCLouvain