Disclosed herein are embodiments of doped and undoped spherical or spheroidal lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide (LLZO) powder products, and methods of production using microwave plasma processing, which can be incorporated into solid state lithium ion batteries. Advantageously, embodiments of the disclosed LLZO powder display a high quality, high purity stoichiometry, small particle size, narrow size distribution, spherical morphology, and customizable crystalline structure.

Silicon-carbon composite materials and related processes are disclosed that overcome the challenges for providing amorphous nano-sized silicon entrained within porous carbon. Compared to other, inferior materials and processes described in the prior art, the materials and processes disclosed herein find superior utility in various applications, including energy storage devices such as lithium ion batteries.

Disclosed are system and methods for manufacturing a solid-state electrolyte to be used in an electrochemical cell. The method can include forming a solid-state electrolyte from a material having a compositional property and a structural property, the material having been selected by: (i) providing material properties of a material, wherein the material properties comprise both compositional and structural information; (ii) calculating a first distortion parameter of a material, wherein the first distortion parameter represents the degree of lattice distortion of the material; (iii) determining an estimated ionic mobility value of the material using the one or more distortion parameters; (iv) varying the provided material properties using isovalent substitution and determining a second ionic mobility value from a second distortion parameter by repeating steps (i)-(iii); and (v) comparing the first and second ionic mobility values to select the superior material derivative.

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.

Disclosed herein are ceramic materials, such as bismuth substituted garnets, which can have high curie temperatures and high dielectric constants. In certain implementations, indium can be incorporated into the ceramic to improve certain properties and to avoid calcium compensation. The ceramic materials disclosed herein can be particular advantageous for below resonance applications.

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.

A powdered catalyst material on a titanium oxide basis. The powdered catalyst material includes a combined content of at least 90 wt.-% of a hydrated titanium oxide having the general formula TiO.sub.(2-x)(OH).sub.2x, with 0<x≤1, (calculated as TiO.sub.2), and a silicon dioxide and hydrated precursors of the silicon dioxide (calculated as SiO.sub.2). A weight ratio of TiO.sub.2/SiO.sub.2, determined for TiO.sub.2 and SiO.sub.2 respectively, is at least 3 and less than 30. The wt.-% is based on a total weight of the catalyst material after the catalyst material has been dried at 105° C. for at least 2 hours. The powdered catalyst material has a specific surface area of >300 m.sup.2/g and an isoelectric point of from 4.0 to 7.0.

The invention relates to Chevrel-phase materials and methods of preparing these materials utilizing a precursor approach. The Chevrel-phase materials are useful in assembling electrodes, e.g., cathodes, for use in electrochemical cells, such as rechargeable batteries. The Chevrel-phase materials have a general formula of Mo.sub.6Z.sub.8 (Z=sulfur) or Mo.sub.6Z.sup.1.sub.8-yZ.sup.2.sub.y (Z.sup.1=sulfur; Z.sup.2=selenium), and partially cuprated Cu.sub.1Mo.sub.6S.sub.8 as well as partially de-cuprated Cu.sub.1-xMg.sub.xMo.sub.6S.sub.8 and the precursors have a general formula of M.sub.xMo.sub.6Z.sub.8 or M.sub.xMo.sub.6Z.sup.1.sub.8-yZ.sup.2.sub.y, M=Cu. The cathode containing the Chevrel-phase material in accordance with the invention can be combined with a magnesium-containing anode and an electrolyte.

A sulfide solid electrolyte to be used in a lithium-ion secondary battery, including: a crystal phase; and an anion existing in a crystal structure of the crystal phase, in which the crystal phase includes an argyrodite crystal containing Li, P, S, and Ha; Ha is at least one element selected from the group consisting of F, Cl, Br, and I; the anion includes an oxide anion having a Q0 structure having an M-O bond that is a bond of M and O; and M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of metal elements and semimetal elements belonging to Groups 2 to 14 of a periodic table.

Provided are a device and a method for synthesis of a gallium-containing garnet-structured scintillator polycrystalline material. The synthesis device includes a polycrystalline material synthesis chamber (7) made of a thermal insulation material (1); a crucible (3) arranged at the center of the bottom of the polycrystalline material synthesis chamber; an induction coil (2) annularly arranged outside the polycrystalline material synthesis chamber at a position with a height corresponding to that of the crucible; an arc heating device (4) arranged on a central axis of the induction coil in the polycrystalline material synthesis chamber, so as to heat and melt raw materials at the center of the crucible by means of the high temperature generated by arc discharge; the induction coil is connected to a RF induction power supply.