Studying the Effects of Nanoscale Distortions and Dislocations on Ionic Conductivity in Solid State Electrolytes with Coherent Diffractive I

Solid state electrolytes (SSEs) are a promising alternative to current Li-ion systems, with potential for significantly improved safety and energy density,
but have so far been limited by poor electrochemical stability between sulfide-based electrolytes and oxide cathodes. Recently, our collaborators discovered
that substituting Y3+ in Na3YCl6 (NYC) with Zr4+ to form a Na3-xY1-xZrxCl6 (NYZCx) SSE enhances Na+ conductivity by two orders of magnitude, while
simultaneously preventing electrochemical decomposition when paired with a NaCrO2 cathode. In a rich body of coherent diffractive imaging (CDI) research,
our group has demonstrated the importance of nanoscale structure, strain and defects in the performance of cathode materials. Therefore, we propose the study
of novel SSEs with Bragg CDI to investigate how the properties and dynamics of structural defects affect the ionic conductivity, interfacial stability, and cycling
performance in these systems with changes in temperature.