Exploiting Nanoscale Complexion in LATP Solid-State Electrolyte via Interfacial Mg Doping.

While great effort has been focused on bulk material design for high-performance All Solid-State Batteries (ASSBs), solid-solid interfaces, which typically extend over a nanometer regime, have been identified to severely impact cell performance. Major challenges are Li dendrite penetration along the grain boundary network of the Solid-State Electrolyte (SSE) and reductive decomposition at the electrolyte/electrode interface. A naturally forming nanoscale complexion encapsulating ceramic Li1+xAlxTi2-x(PO4)3 (LATP) SSE grains has been shown to serve as a thin protective layer against such degradation mechanisms. To further exploit this feature, we study the interfacial doping of divalent Mg2+ into LATP grain boundaries. Molecular Dynamics simulations for a realistic atomistic model of the grain boundary reveal Mg2+ to be an eligible dopant candidate as it rarely passes through the complexion and thus does not degrade the bulk electrolyte performance. Tuning the interphase stoichiometry promotes the suppression of reductive degradation mechanisms by lowering the Ti4+ content while simultaneously increasing the local Li+ conductivity. The Mg2+ doping investigated in this work identifies a promising route towards active interfacial engineering at the nanoscale from a computational perspective.