Experimental visualization of lithium conduction pathways in garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12

Chem Commun (Camb). 2012 Oct 11;48(79):9840-2. doi: 10.1039/c2cc35089k. Epub 2012 Aug 30.

Abstract

The evolution of the Li-ion displacements in the 3D interstitial pathways of the cubic garnet-type Li(7)La(3)Zr(2)O(12), cubic Li(7)La(3)Zr(2)O(12), was investigated with high-temperature neutron diffraction (HTND) from RT to 600 °C; the maximum-entropy method (MEM) was applied to estimate the Li nuclear-density distribution. Temperature-driven Li displacements were observed; the displacements indicate that the conduction pathways in the garnet framework are restricted to diffusion through the tetrahedral sites of the interstitial space.