Lithium intercalation and conduction in Fe-containing tantalum oxide films synthesized with an atmospheric pressure plasma jet

• Published in: Journal of solid state electrochemistry 2019-02, Vol.23 (2), p.441-453
• Main Authors: Lin, Yung-Sen, Shie, Bing-Shiun, Lai, Yan-Hong, Chen, Jui-Hung, Gu, Zhi-Wei, Chen, Hsiang, Lin, Chia-Feng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air plasma; Analytical Chemistry; Argon; Atmospheric pressure; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; Electrochemistry; Energy Storage; Indium tin oxides; Intercalation; Iron oxides; Lithium ions; Original Paper; Oxide coatings; Physical Chemistry; Plasma jets; Polyethylene terephthalate; Propylene; Substrates; Synthesis; Tantalum oxides
• ISSN: 1432-8488; 1433-0768
• DOI: 10.1007/s10008-018-4147-0

Lithium ionic intercalation and conduction performance of tantalum oxides films improved by adding with iron oxides using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) is investigated. Precursors [tantalum ethoxide, Ta(OC 2 H 5 ) 5 ] 2 ] and ferrocene [Fe(C 5 H 5 ) 2 ] vapors are carried by argon gas, mixed by oxygen gas and injected into air plasma torch for rapid synthesis of organo-tantalum-iron oxides (TaFe x O y C z ) films onto the polished stainless steel substrate at a short exposed-duration of 35 s. The APPJ-synthesized TaFe x O y C z films possess the prominent Li + ionic intercalation performance for 200 cycles of reversible Li + ionic intercalation and deintercalation in a 1 mol/L LiClO 4 -propylene carbonate electrolyte by switching measurements with a potential sweep from − 1.25 to 1.25 V at a scan rate of 40 mV/s. After 200 cycles of reversible Li + ionic intercalation and deintercalation, the Li + ions intercalated and deintercalated charges are respectively increased from 2.41 and 1.91mC/cm 2 for TaO y C z film to 5.69 and 5.23 mC/cm 2 for TaFe x O y C z film. The Li + ionic conduction performance of TaO y C z film is highly enhanced from 5.76 × 10 −11 to 1070 × 10 −11  S/cm for TaFe x O y C z film, while proven by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in the devices of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/indium tin oxide (ITO)/NiO x /TaO y C z /NiO x /ITO and PET/ITO/NiO x /TaFe x O y C z /NiO x /ITO.