Preparation of some metal chloride doped silver phosphate glass electrolytes–Application to solid state batteries

Abstract

Silver phosphate glasses doped with various compositions (0, 1, 5, 10 and 15 wt%) of some metal chlorides, viz, lithium, sodium, magnesium, lead and copper are prepared by melt quenching technique. These glasses are characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, FTIR spectra, transference number measurements and electrical conductivity studies. The glasses exhibiting maximum electrical conductivity are used as solid electrolytes for the fabrication of solid-state batteries with the cell configurations: Ag || Ag₂O – P₂O₅ – MCl<i>_y</i>|| (C + I₂) (where <i>y</i> = 1 when M is Li or Na; <i>y</i> = 2 when M is Mg, Pb or Cu). The open circuit voltage (OCV) and discharge characteristics of all the fabricated batteries have been studied. The addition of metal chlorides to silver phosphate glass matrix results in a substantial increase in the OCV. The cell with the configuration Ag || Ag₂O – P₂O₅ – (15%) Li Cl || (C + I₂) gives the best performance. The results have been discussed on the basis of FTIR and electrical conductivity studies.