Neutron-enhanced ion transport in cathode coating of Li-ion batteries
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866908884138983424 |
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| author | Nguyen, Ha M. Ziemke, Carson D. Stalla, David Saha, Bikash Narayanan, Narendirakumar Amaya-Roncancio, Sebastián Wexler, Carlos Gahl, John Xing, Yangchuan Heitmann, Thomas W. |
| author_facet | Nguyen, Ha M. Ziemke, Carson D. Stalla, David Saha, Bikash Narayanan, Narendirakumar Amaya-Roncancio, Sebastián Wexler, Carlos Gahl, John Xing, Yangchuan Heitmann, Thomas W. |
| contents | Polycrystalline solid-state ionic conductors (PolySSICs) are key energy materials for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries (LIBs). However, achieving room-temperature ionic conductivity comparable to that of liquid electrolytes ($σ\sim 10^{-2}-10\,\mathrm{S\cdot cm^{-1}}$) remains a major challenge. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that thermal neutron irradiation provides an effective strategy for engineering ion transport in a model PolySSIC, LiBO$_2$, a promising electrode coating material for LIBs. High-flux ($\sim 10^{9}$ neutrons$\cdot$cm$^{-2}\cdot$s$^{-1}$) thermal neutrons ($\sim 25$ meV), delivered at Beam Port E of the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), selectively transmute the strong neutron absorbers $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ and $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ at their natural abundances ($\sim19.9\%$ and $\sim7.5\%$). This process generates lattice vacancies within polycrystalline grains while preserving long-range crystallographic order. In addition, $γ$ photons produced during $^{10}$B transmutation release electrons that suppress atomic displacement and partially neutralize the space charge associated with positively charged oxygen vacancies at grain boundaries. As a result, the ionic conductivity increases by nearly $20\%$ in grains and more than $80\%$ at grain boundaries. These results validate theoretical predictions and demonstrate a controllable strategy for enhancing ion transport in PolySSICs for solid ionic devices, including LIBs. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_12898 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Neutron-enhanced ion transport in cathode coating of Li-ion batteries Nguyen, Ha M. Ziemke, Carson D. Stalla, David Saha, Bikash Narayanan, Narendirakumar Amaya-Roncancio, Sebastián Wexler, Carlos Gahl, John Xing, Yangchuan Heitmann, Thomas W. Materials Science Polycrystalline solid-state ionic conductors (PolySSICs) are key energy materials for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries (LIBs). However, achieving room-temperature ionic conductivity comparable to that of liquid electrolytes ($σ\sim 10^{-2}-10\,\mathrm{S\cdot cm^{-1}}$) remains a major challenge. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that thermal neutron irradiation provides an effective strategy for engineering ion transport in a model PolySSIC, LiBO$_2$, a promising electrode coating material for LIBs. High-flux ($\sim 10^{9}$ neutrons$\cdot$cm$^{-2}\cdot$s$^{-1}$) thermal neutrons ($\sim 25$ meV), delivered at Beam Port E of the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), selectively transmute the strong neutron absorbers $^{10}\mathrm{B}$ and $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ at their natural abundances ($\sim19.9\%$ and $\sim7.5\%$). This process generates lattice vacancies within polycrystalline grains while preserving long-range crystallographic order. In addition, $γ$ photons produced during $^{10}$B transmutation release electrons that suppress atomic displacement and partially neutralize the space charge associated with positively charged oxygen vacancies at grain boundaries. As a result, the ionic conductivity increases by nearly $20\%$ in grains and more than $80\%$ at grain boundaries. These results validate theoretical predictions and demonstrate a controllable strategy for enhancing ion transport in PolySSICs for solid ionic devices, including LIBs. |
| title | Neutron-enhanced ion transport in cathode coating of Li-ion batteries |
| topic | Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.12898 |