The electric double layer effect and its strong suppression at Li+ solid electrolyte/hydrogenated diamond interfaces

Abstract

The electric double layer (EDL) effect at solid electrolyte/electrode interfaces has been a key topic in many energy and nanoelectronics applications (e.g., all-solid-state Li+ batteries and memristors). However, its characterization remains difficult in comparison with liquid electrolytes. Herein, we use a novel method to show that the EDL effect, and its suppression at solid electrolyte/electronic material interfaces, can be characterized on the basis of the electric conduction characteristics of hydrogenated diamond(H-diamond)-based EDL transistors (EDLTs). Whereas H-diamond-based EDLT with a Li-Si-Zr-O Li+ solid electrolyte showed EDL-induced hole density modulation over a range of up to three orders of magnitude, EDLT with a Li-La-Ti-O (LLTO) Li+ solid electrolyte showed negligible enhancement, which indicates strong suppression of the EDL effect. Such suppression is attributed to charge neutralization in the LLTO, which is due to variation in the valence state of the Ti ions present. The method described is useful for quantitatively evaluating the EDL effect in various solid electrolytes.