Electrical properties of garnet-like lithium ionic conductors Li5+xSrxLa3--xBi2O12 fabricated by spark plasma sintering method

A typical approach involving Pechini method and spark plasma sintering (SPS) method was presented for the preparation of high density Li_5+xSr_xLa_3--xBi₂O₁₂ (x = 0, 1) ceramics. Phase formation, microstructure, grain size and electrical properties of the specimens were examined using XRD, SEM and alternating current impedance spectroscopy (ACIS). Dense Li₅La₃Bi₂O₁₂ and Li₆SrLa₂Bi₂O₁₂ ceramics with pure garnet-like phase, relative density of 97% and average grain size of about 5 μm were fabricated using this approach. The total conductivities at 298 K of Li₅La₃Bi₂O₁₂ and Li₆SrLa₂Bi₂O₁₂ ceramics prepared by the SPS method are 5.1×10^-5 and 6.8×10^-5 S/cm, respectively, 2 times higher than that of samples prepared by the conventional sintering method.