Pliable Lithium Superionic Conductor for All-Solid-State Batteries

The key challenges in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) are establishing and maintaining perfect physical contact between rigid components for facile interfacial charge transfer, particularly between the solid electrolyte and cathode, during repeated electrochemical cycling. Here, we introduce inorganic-based pliable solid electrolytes that exhibit extraordinary clay-like mechanical properties (storage and loss moduli <1 MPa) at room temperature, high lithium-ion conductivity (3.6 mS cm(-1)), and a glass transition below -50 degrees C. The unique mechanical features enabled the solid electrolyte to penetrate into the high-loading cathode like liquid, thereby providing complete ionic conduction paths for all cathode particles as well as maintaining the pathway even during cell operation. We propose a design principle in which the complex anion formation including Ga, F, and a different halogen can induce the claylike features. Our findings provide new opportunities in the search for solid electrolytes and suggest a new approach for resolving the issues caused by the solid electrolyte-cathode interface in ASSBs.