Li Conduction in Sputtered Amorphous Ta[sub 2]O[sub 5]

Abstract

Electron and Li ion conducting properties of room temperature sputtered amorphous tantalum oxide (a-Ta2O5) films were studied in order to evaluate the feasibility of using a-Ta2O5 in electrochromic device applications. The films were investigated using the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique, impedance spectroscopy, and isothermal transient ionic current measurements. It was found that the a-Ta2O5 met two out of three requirements posed on a Li ion conductor in a WO3 based electrochromic device. There was a negligible intercalation in the potential window used in WO3-based electrochromic devices (above 2.4-2.5 V vs. Li/Li+). Furthermore, in this potential region, the chemical diffusion coefficient for Li was larger than the corresponding quantity in WO3. However, there was a nonzero electron conductivity in the a-Ta2O5 films, not observed in the chemical vapor deposition-made β-Ta2O5 investigated earlier. Still, the ionic conductivity was approximately one order of magnitude larger than the electronic one. © 2001 The Electrochemical Society.