Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA) of Al-Doped Lithium Lanthanum Zirconium Oxide (Li7La3Zr2O12) Solid Electrolyte Synthesized Using the Electrospinning Technique

Understanding lithium distribution and transport within Li-ion battery components is critical in improving battery longevity, safety and performance. This study investigates lithium concentration profiles across the interface of an aluminum-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (Al-LLZO) solid electrolyte and a lithium metal anode using Nuclear Reaction Analysis (NRA), a non-destructive depth-profiling technique. The Al-LLZO electrolyte was synthesized via electrospinning, producing nanofibers, which were subsequently sintered into pellets of average thickness 380 µm. These pellets were integrated into a Li|Al-LLZO|NMC-111 half-cell and cycled at 0.1 C for 1, 3, and 10 cycles, indicating pronounced lithium accumulation at the electrolyte–anode interface. Using NRA, this study provided a clear pathway for better understanding lithium transport and interfacial behavior, by quantitatively measuring the lithium distribution at the Al-LLZO electrolyte–electrode interface, and to look at the changes at this interface over the battery cycles.