Set forth herein are processes for making lithium-stuffed garnet oxides (e.g., Li.sub.7La.sub.3Zr.sub.2O.sub.12, also known as LLZO) that have passivated surfaces comprising a fluorinate and/or an oxyfluorinate species. These surfaces resist the formation of oxides, carbonates, hydroxides, peroxides, and organics that spontaneously form on LLZO surfaces under ambient conditions. Also set forth herein are new materials made by these processes.

The instant disclosure sets forth multiphase lithium-stuffed garnet electrolytes having secondary phase inclusions, where-in these secondary phase inclusions are material(s) which is/are not a cubic phase lithium-stuffed garnet but which is/are entrapped or enclosed within a lithium-stuffed garnet. When the secondary phase inclusions described herein are included in a lithium-stuffed garnet at 30-0.1 volume %, the inclusions stabilize the multiphase matrix and allow for improved sintering of the lithium-stuffed garnet. The electrolytes described herein, which include lithium-stuffed garnet with secondary phase inclusions, have an improved sinterability and density compared to phase pure cubic lithium-stuffed garnet having the formula Li.sub.7La.sub.3Zr.sub.2O.sub.12.

An oxide-based solid electrolyte with a high lithium ion conductance is provided. A lithium ion-conducting garnet type oxide includes Li, La, Ga, Zr, a halogen element, and oxygen. A lithium ion conductivity at room temperature is not lower than 1.0×10.sup.−3 S/cm. A proportion of Ga with respect to 1 mole of the oxide may be not larger than 0.5 moles.

The halogen element may be at least one type selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br, and I, and a proportion of Li with respect to 1 mole of the oxide may be not smaller than 6.1 moles and smaller than 6.5 moles.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

An external element made from a first material for a wearable object, the first material being an insulating ceramic, wherein a surface of the external element is at least partially treated to include at least one conversion with an electrical conductivity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a powder of a CeO.sub.2—ZrO.sub.2-based complex oxide which enables to achieve an improvement in the purification performance at a low to middle temperature of an exhaust gas purification catalyst, and, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a powder of a CeO.sub.2—ZrO.sub.2-based complex oxide, wherein a pore volume with from-10-to-100-nm diameters after a heat treatment performed at 1,000° C. for 3 hours in an air atmosphere, is 0.35 mL/g or more, and wherein an amount of carbon dioxide desorbed after the heat treatment, as measured by a temperature programmed desorption method, is 80 μmol/g or more.

An object of the present invention is to provide a powder of a CeO.sub.2—ZrO.sub.2-based complex oxide which enables to achieve an improvement in the purification performance at a low to middle temperature of an exhaust gas purification catalyst, and, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a powder of a CeO.sub.2—ZrO.sub.2-based complex oxide, wherein a pore volume with from-10-to-100-nm diameters after a heat treatment performed at 1,000° C. for 3 hours in an air atmosphere, is 0.35 mL/g or more, and wherein an amount of carbon dioxide desorbed after the heat treatment, as measured by a temperature programmed desorption method, is 80 μmol/g or more.

A product includes a solid state electrolyte particle coated with a coating consisting essentially of metal oxide. A method includes depositing a coating on a solid state electrolyte particle by atomic layer deposition. A method includes fabricating a product using a plurality of solid state electrolyte particles coated with a coating consisting essentially of metal oxide.

Disclosed are a method for preparing a ceramic material including a compound of a formula of A.sub.2B.sub.xO.sub.y and a ceramic material prepared by the method. The method includes: mixing a first oxide of AO.sub.m and a second oxide of BO.sub.n to obtain a mixture, ball-milling the mixture until a particle size of the mixture is not greater than 1 μm with a medium selected from a group consisting of ethanol, acetone, deionized water and a combination thereof, to obtain a powder, drying the powder at a temperature in a range of 60 to 80° C., and sintering the powder with a laser irradiation having a laser wavelength of 980 nm, an irradiation power ranging from 50 to 1500 W and an irradiation period of 3 s to 8 min to obtain the ceramic material.

Disclosed are a method for preparing a ceramic material including a compound of a formula of A.sub.2B.sub.xO.sub.y and a ceramic material prepared by the method. The method includes: mixing a first oxide of AO.sub.m and a second oxide of BO.sub.n to obtain a mixture, ball-milling the mixture until a particle size of the mixture is not greater than 1 μm with a medium selected from a group consisting of ethanol, acetone, deionized water and a combination thereof, to obtain a powder, drying the powder at a temperature in a range of 60 to 80° C., and sintering the powder with a laser irradiation having a laser wavelength of 980 nm, an irradiation power ranging from 50 to 1500 W and an irradiation period of 3 s to 8 min to obtain the ceramic material.