Abstract
This mini-review reports the latest results on Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) for the design and development of microbatteries. Advances in the deposition of thin films for cathodes, anodes and electrolytes are considered separately, the focus being on studies reporting the electrochemical characterization and performance of electroactive films. Some results on the positive effects of coatings to study and mitigate anode degradation are also discussed.
1 Introduction
A microbattery is a solid state battery (SSB) designed to provide power for small-scale electronic devices. SSB have significant advantages over conventional batteries in terms of performance, sustainability and safety due to their greater thermal and chemical stability, higher energy density, and absence of flammable liquids. Due to the increasing demand of flexible electronic microdevices such as implantable medical devices or skin patches, many researchers have been focused on the deposition of positive and negative electrodes and solid electrolytes for the development of microbatteries. Among micro-SSB, thin-film batteries (TFBs) typically feature a layer-by-layer stacked structure, where various components (cathode, electrolyte, and anode) are sequentially deposited onto a substrate, which can also serve as a current connector. To ensure efficient transfer of both electrical and ionic charge, the electrodes must be extremely thin (with a maximum thickness of a few microns), with the electrolyte even thinner. To achieve this, various deposition techniques have been explored, such as magnetron sputtering, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), thermal evaporation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), and printing (). Within these, PLD is widely recognized as a versatile technique for the growth of films. Thanks to the possibility to deposit dense and pure films, PLD has gathered the attention of the scientist for the development of solid state batteries (SSB) (; ). In PLD, a pulsed laser beam ablates material from a solid target, depositing it onto a substrate in form of thin film. The interaction between the laser and target material causes laser photon absorption, leading to the vaporization of the superficial layers of the target and plasma formation, consisting in a mixture of atoms, molecules, ions, electrons, and clusters. The plasma’s composition and expansion are closely linked to deposition parameters, particularly the ambient background (such as vacuum or background gas inert or reactive) and laser parameters (including pulse duration, wavelength, and fluence). Therefore composition, morphology, crystallinity and thickness of the obtained film can be tuned by controlling many experimental parameters during the deposition such as laser wavelength, energy and pulse length, deposition temperature and atmosphere and so on. The role of several PLD parameters on the film’s growth and properties has been discussed (). The advantages and drawbacks of PLD with respect to other chemical and physical deposition methodologies used for the growth of thin electroactive films, were recently reviewed (; ). In brief, among the main advantages of PLD are: i) the ability to deposit any type of material for TFBs, ii) congruent transfer of composition, and iii) low deposition temperatures. However, scaling up production proves challenging as the film maintains its homogeneity over a limited area of the substrate.
This mini-review explores the studies published after 2019 focused on laser technologies for the development of batteries with different chemistry and microbatteries with enriched performances. The cathode, anodes and electrolytes components are separately considered. In particular we have considered studies that report the electrochemical characterization for anodes and cathodes. As the study of solid-state electrolytes is relatively recent compared to other components, only limited investigations on thin film electrolytes deposited via PLD are available, with some focusing solely on optimizing deposition parameters. Therefore, all papers have been considered, despite the absence of electrochemical studies. The experimental details for the deposition of cathodes, anodes and electrolytes are reported in Table 1. A schematic illustration of the sequential deposition process and the cross-section of a thin film battery is reported in Figure 1.
TABLE 1
| Cathode | Lasers source ((pulse regime), λ, repetition rate, fluence/power) | Deposition conditions | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| MoO3 (MO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 Hz, 1.5 J/cm2 | Target: MO 400°C, target-substrate distance (d) = 50 mm, p(O2) from 2 to 20 Pa | |
| MoO3 | Nd:YAG (ns), 266 nm, 2.5 J/cm2 | Target: Mo 450°C, d= 10 mm, p(O2) = 0.5 mbar, 120 min | |
| V2O3 and Sn-doped V2O3 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10 Hz, 1 J/cm2 | Target: V2O5 and V2O5+ 5wt% SnO2, d=50 mm, p (N2/O2, 1:1) = 10−1 mbar | |
| V2O5 and V2O5-Au nanocomposite | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10 Hz, 10 J/cm2 | Target: V2O5 and V2O5-Au, RT, d=4.5 cm, p(O2)= 13.3 Pa, 30 min | |
| LiMn2O4 (LMO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10 Hz | Target: LiMn2O4 + Li2O 650°C, d= 90 mm, p(O2) = 20 mTorr | |
| LiMn2O4 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 1.3 J/cm2 | Target: LiMn2O4 and Li2O, 650°C, d= 90 mm, p(O2) =20 mTorr | |
| LixMn2O4 | Nd:YAG (ns), 266 nm, 10 Hz, 0.6 W | Target: LiMn2O4 390°C or 500°C, p(O2) =20 Pa | |
| LiMn2O4 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 Hz, 140 mJ/pulse | Target: LiMn2O4 400°C, p(O2) = 75 mTorr | |
| Li2MnO3 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 3 or 5 Hz, 1.1 J/cm2 | Target: Li2.1MnO3 and Li2.4MnO3 973 K, d= 60 mm, p(O2) = 50 or 75 Pa, 10 or 20 min | |
| LiCoO2 (LCO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 2.1 J/cm2 | Target: LCO + Li2O (10:1) 500°C, d=35 mm, p(O2)= 0.2 mbar | |
| LiCoO2 | Nd:YAG (ns), 266 nm, 100 kHz, 1015 W/m2 | Target: LCO, from RT to 550°C, d= 57 mm, 0.1 Pa or 5x10−4 Pa | |
| LiCoO2 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 or 20 Hz | Target: LCO from RT to 700°C, p(O2)= 10−4 Pa–10 Pa | |
| LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 Hz, 0.7 J/cm2, 20 ns | Target: Li1.2Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2+δ 600°C, d=47 mm, p(O2) = 100 mTorr | |
| LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 | Nd:YAG (ns), 266 nm, 10 Hz, 20 mJ | Target: LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 with 50% excess Li 923–1043 K, d= 40 mm, p(O2) = 0.1–20 Pa, 50 min | |
| LiMn0.5Ni0.3Co0.2O2 (NMC 532) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 Hz, 1.9 J/cm2 | Target: NMC532 + 15% Li2CO3 550°C, d= 5 cm, p(O2) = 10 mTorr, 33 min | Qi et al., 2021 |
| LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 (LMNO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 1 Hz, 1.7 J/cm2 | Target: LMNO 600°C, d= 7.5 cm, p(O2) = 3.8x10−6 mbar or 4.6x10−3 mbar | |
| LiCoO0.5Ni0.45Ag0.05O2 (LCNAO) | Nd:YAG (ns), 532 nm, 1 Hz, 1.94 J/cm2, 10 ns | Target: LCNAO | |
| LiCr1/6Mn1/6Fe1/6Co1/6Ni1/6Cu1/6O2 (HEO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 Hz, 0.93–1.35 J/cm2 | Target: HEO with excess Li 500°C–800°C, d= 47 mm, p= 1.3x10−1 Pa | |
| LiFePO4 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10 Hz, 10J/m2 | Target: LiFePO4 d= 4 cm, p(O2) | |
| Ternary metal fluoride Cu-Fe-F (CFF) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 Hz, 2.5 J/cm2 | Target: CuF2+FeF3 (1:1) 400°C, d= 50 mm, p= 5x10−4 Pa, 30 min | |
| Composite LiF-MxOy 4LiF/NiFe2O4 4LiF/NiFe2O3 4LiF/NiO | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 2.5 J/cm2 | Target: LiF + NiFe2O4, LiF+ NiFe2O3, LiF + NiO 400°C, d= 50 mm, p(Ar) = 2 Pa, 30 min | |
| NaFe0.5Mn0.5O2 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10 Hz, 1.71 J/cm2 | Target: NaFe0.5Mn0.5O2 600°C, d= 35 mm, p(O2) = 1.33x10−1 mbar | |
| Na-Fe-Mn-O (NFMO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10 Hz, 1.71 J/cm2 | Target: NFMO 400,500,600°C, d= 3.5 cm, p(O2) = 1.33x10−1 mbar | |
| Na2/3Ni1/4Mn3/4O2 (NNMO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 50 Hz, 1.5–31 J/cm2 | Target: NNMO, substrate: SS 750°C, d= 50 mm, p(O2) = 35,50,65 Pa |
| Anodes | Lasers source ((pulse regime), λ, repetition rate, fluence/power) | Deposition conditions | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| SnO2 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10Hz, 350 mJ | 300°C–500°C, d = 4cm, p(O2) =300 mTorr | |
| SnO2/TiO2 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 300mJ, 5 Hz | RT | |
| LiFe5O8 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 400 mJ | 700°C, p(O2) =4.6x10−3 mbar | |
| TiO2/C | Nd:glass (fs), 527 nm, 2.8 mJ, 10 Hz | RT and post annealing at 200°C–800°C, 10–4 Pa, d=3 cm | |
| BN | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 5 Hz, 2J/cm2 | RT, p(Ar) 50 mTorr, d =8 cm | |
| Al2O3 | Nd:YAG (ns), 266 nm, 10 Hz, 22 mJ | RT, 0.33Pa, d =4.5 cm |
| Electrolyte | Lasers source ((pulse regime), λ, repetition rate, fluence/power) | Deposition conditions | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ta-doped Li7La3Zr2O12 (Ta-LLZO) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 10 Hz, 1.67 J/cm2 | Target: Ta-LLZO and Li3N 300°C, d= 70 mm, p(O2)= 1.3 Pa (Ta-LLZO) and 4 Pa (Li3N) | |
| Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12 (LLZTO) | Nd:YAG (ns), 532 nm, 10 Hz, 10 ns, 30 J/cm2 | Target: LLZTO, LLZTO +6 wt% Li2O RT, p= 10−3 Pa or p(O2)= 10 Pa, d= 2cm, 3 h | |
| Li3PO4 | ArF (ns), 193 nm, 5 Hz, 1 J/cm2 | Target: Li3PO4 | |
| Li3PO4 | ArF (ns), 193 nm, 5 Hz, 1 J/cm2 | Target: Li3PO4 RT, p= 4x10−6 Pa | |
| Li3PO4 | ArF (ns), 193 nm, 150 mJ | RT, p(O2) = 0.2 Pa | |
| Li1+xAlxTi2-x(PO4)3 (LATP) | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 50 Hz, 1.4 J/cm2 | Target: LATP 700°C, d= 90 mm, p(O2) = 80 mTorr | |
| LL(Nb,Ti)O-(Ti,Nb)O2 | KrF (ns), 248 nm, 8 Hz, 1.0 J/cm2 | Target: Li3xLa2/3-x(Nb0.7Ti0.32)O3 880°C, d= 45 mm, p(O2)= 10 Pa | |
| La2LiHO3 (LLHO) | Nd:YAG (ns), 266 nm, 3.33 Hz, 0.1–0.2 J/cm2 | Target: LLHO +180% LiH 400°C–700°C, d= 40 mm, p(H2) = 1.3 Pa |
Experimental conditions for PLD of cathodes, anodes and electrolytes.
FIGURE 1
2 Cathodes
2.1 Cathodes for Lithium Ion Batteries
2.1.1 Transition metal oxides
Transition metal oxide (TMO) stands out as the most promising commercial cathode material for Lithium Ion Batteries (LIBs), moreover, thanks to their adjustable electrochemistry, reversible capacity, and easy synthesis process TMO resulted attractive also for Sodium Ion Batteries (SIBs). In particular, to the simplicity in varying the transition metal within the crystalline structure, which acts as the redox center, allows the electrochemical properties modulation through the utilization of different transition metals reference ().
Among various TMOs for LIBs, compounds like MoO3, V2O5, and MnO2 possess a structure that facilitates ionic intercalation, leading to satisfactory specific capacities. However, a primary issue lies in their low diffusion coefficient. Nanostructured forms offer a potential solution, reducing diffusion paths and increasing the number of reaction sites.
Mo3 was deposited in an oxygen atmosphere at various pressures (2, 5, 10, and 20 Pa) to control the quantity of oxygen vacancies introduced into the cathodic film. The authors observed that as the oxygen pressure decreased, the percentage of oxygen vacancies increased, until the oxygen supply was sufficiently low to induce the formation of a less oxidized MO2 phase. Whereas, the film deposited at 10 Pa exhibited the best electrochemical properties, demonstrating that a limited number of OVs leads to an improvement in electrochemical performance, due to the increased carrier density and reaction sites (). Moreover by selecting appropriate substrates and deposition parameters it is possible to tune the crystal orientation of epitaxial MoO3 thin films. It has been demonstrated that when the (011) and (102) planes are exposed to the electrolyte, ion intercalation is favored, leading to improved electrochemical properties compared to cathode film with (00 k) face exposed ().
deposited V2O5 and V2O5-Au composite cathode. The latter is composed of 10 nm sized Au nanoparticles homogeneously anchored on V2O5 nanosheets. The cyclic voltammetry analysis of pure V2O5 and V2O5-Au electrodes reveals characteristic oxidation and reduction current peaks, consistent with the presence of α-V2O5. The comparison of cycling performance shows that the V2O5-Au electrode exhibits higher discharge capacity and better capacity retention attributed to enhanced electronic conductivity provided by gold nanoparticles: 78.7% and 83.5% for V2O5 and V2O5-Au, respectively ().
Undoped and Sn-doped V2O5 thin films were deposited and subjected to a rapid thermal annealing in a reducing nitrogen atmosphere, which lead to the formation of a predominantly V2O3 phase. Sn-doped V2O3 film exhibited only a slight enhancement in initial capacity to 311 mAh/g. Whereas prolonged stability analysis revealed significant capacity decay in undoped V2O3 electrodes, while the incorporation of Sn4+ resulted in notable improvement in long-term stability, exhibiting more than twice the capacity retention compared to undoped electrodes ().
LiMn2O4 (LMO) was deposited following a multi-layer PLD approach: with the aim to reduce the Li losses, commonly encountered during laser deposition due to its low mass, sequential layers of LMO e Li2O (4:3) were deposited (; ). Nonetheless, small amounts of MnO3 and non stoichiometric phases were detected in XRD analysis. However, have shown that these material defects resulting from deviation from stoichiometry have contributed to good cycling stability by ensuring a lower volume variation during charge and discharge processes.
investigated the electrochemical characteristics of LMO in a thin-film cell where each component was deposited via PLD: Li/Li3PO4/LiMn2O4. Through in situ Raman spectroscopy, they investigated the structural changes of LMO during charge and discharge cycles and their correlation with Li diffusion.
PLD of electrode materials is often performed to produce models for analyzing reaction mechanisms. In this regard, epitaxial thin films of Li2MnO3 with various Li/Mo ratios were deposited at different oxygen pressures, and the electrochemical processes were studied (). From structural and electrochemical analysis it was evidenced that reaction mechanisms in non stoichiometric Li2MnO3 differ from the stoichiometric one, which shown also lower degradation.
LiCoO2 (LCO) is a primary cathode active material characterized by its typical layered rock-salt structure, which suggests anisotropic ionic conduction. LCO thin films with controlled orientations are valuable model for studying structural modification upon cycling and electrochemical performances, mainly in term of Li+ diffusion. deposited epitaxial LCO thin film cathodes with two different orientation, revealing a significant disparity in Li-ion diffusion rates between (104)-oriented and c-axis oriented LCO cathodes. This discrepancy arises from the orientation of the diffusion channels: while c-axis oriented films impede diffusion due to parallel alignment with the solid electrolyte and obstruction by CoO2 planes, (104)-oriented films facilitate charge transport by direct exposure to the electrolyte (). , instead, deposited (003)-oriented LCO, demonstrating the presence of diffusion-controlled reversible capacity loss in layered oxide cathodes, which can be recovered with extended Li diffusion time during the lithiation process. On the other hand, proposed a novel high-speed PLD process for large-scale fabrication of crystalline (001)- oriented LCO by using a high repetition rate 1,064 nm Nd:YAG fiber laser. They deposited at various deposition temperature (RT, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, and 550°C) in order to investigate the effect of the deposition temperature on the film crystallinity and, as a consequence, on the electrochemical performances. The crystallinity of the films was too low up to 400 °C, therefore, electrochemical tests were conducted in cell vs. Li+/Li for films deposited at 450, 500, and 550 °C, demonstrating that the film with the highest crystallinity, deposited at 550 °C, exhibited the highest specific capacity. Additionally, the researchers investigated the effect of film thickness by depositing films at 550°C for varying deposition time to achieve thicknesses of 0.27, 0.65, and 1.31 microns. It was confirmed that thinner films showed superior electrochemical performance, attributed to enhanced lithium ion mobility in a reduced diffusion pathway typical of 2D films. Similarly to LCO, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC) possesses a layered rock-salt crystal structure and is one of the most widely used cathode materials for high-power batteries to date. However, its application in solid-state batteries still requires studies to analyze the cathode-electrolyte interface resistance. In this regard, deposited (104)- and (001)-oriented NMC epitaxial thin films and analyzed interface resistance with Li3PO4 thin film electrolyte (similarly deposited via laser), founding low interface resistance values for both the cathodes (5.2 and 10.2 Ω/cm2, respectively). Whereas, tuned deposition parameters to obtain (003)-oriented NMC, used for a simultaneous electrochemical analysis with regular NMC electrode, demonstrating how the thin film one can be utilized as a model for studying charge transfer processes at the electrode-electrolyte interface.
Similarly to NMC, other layered rock-salt cathode materials containing different transition metals have also been deposited via PLD (; ; ). Among these, thin films of LiMn1.5Ni0.5O4 (LMNO) exhibited high Li diffusion coefficients (10−5–10−6 cm2/s) and excellent cyclability in a wide current range (). While deposited a high-entropy oxide (HEO) with a higher number of transition metals: LiCr1/6Mn1/6Fe1/6Co1/6Ni1/6Cu1/6O2. They deposited an epitaxial thin film by tuning deposition temperature and laser fluence. Such film was used in a HEO/Li3PO4/Li thin film cell, however a large interface resistance was measured, therefore a anisotropic structure has to be evaluated for this material.
2.1.2 Phosphates
While for the PLD of intercalation cathode materials based on transition metal oxides, as seen so far, there are several studies in the recent literature, only one paper concerns the PLD of phosphates and a couple is on fluorides (conversion cathodes). In particular, deposited LiFePO4 (LFP) in oxygen atmosphere, obtaining a film of LFP with minor amount of lithium and iron oxides, even though high specific capacity and capacity retention were obtained vs. Li+/Li.
2.1.3 Metal fluorides
Conversion cathodes based on metal fluoride are attractive for their high capacity and voltage, however their structural reorganization during conversion reaction causes high volumetric changes and thus scarce capacity retention and reversibility. Therefore, two different composite conversion cathodes, in which volume changes were limited, were developed and deposited in form of thin film as a model to study their conversion reaction. A ternary metal fluoride Cu-Fe-F (CFF) cathode, obtained by co-deposition of CuFe2 an FeF3 targets, demonstrated a reversible structural rearrangement upon cycling leading to high reversibility and columbic efficiency (). Alternatively, deposited different LiF/Fe2O3, LiF/NiO, and LiF/NiFe2O4 films by PLD of a composite targets with different LiF/MOx ratio. Among these, 4LiF/NiFe2O4 shown the best electrochemical performances in term of cycling stability and rate capability thanks to the reversible splitting and regeneration of LiF, as well as the adsorption and desorption of F− at the redox center of NiFe2O4.
2.2 Cathodes for sodium ion batteries
While lithium-based thin-film batteries have been extensively studied, research on sodium-based microbatteries remains limited. Thin-film batteries exhibit superior ion diffusion kinetics, resulting in enhanced cyclic performance and increased energy density compared to conventional rechargeable batteries. This is particularly important for SIBs, as sodium has larger dimensions than lithium, making intercalation/deintercalation processes more challenging. Nayak et al. (; ) deposited a Na-Fe-Mn-O (NFMO) thin films at 400, 500, and 600°C, evidencing how film quality is dependent on deposition temperature. The best film, obtained at 600°C, shown high capacity and Coulombic efficiency (>91% after 1,500 cycles). On the contrary, Lin J. et al. (2020) analyzed the effect of the pressure of oxygen (p(O2): 35, 50, 65 Pa) during the deposition of Na2/3Ni1/4Mn3/4O2 (NNMO). Film deposited at higher pressure exhibited higher sodium storage, better capacity and cycling performance ().
3 Anodes
With respect to negative electrodes for secondary batteries, few studies were published in the last years. Commercial anodes for LIBs involve the use of graphite, but its theoretical capacity is too low for the development of high energy density batteries suitable for microelectronic or medical devices. Metallic lithium has high theoretical energy density (−3,680 mAh/g) and low reduction potential (−3.04 V vs. standard hydrogen potential) and can serve as anode for Li Metal Batteries (LMB). However, it presents some serious safety concerns due to the dendrite propagation during the battery cycle life. To tackle the anode issue, thin, dense films of transition metal oxides or multielemental oxides were grown by PLD to serve as anodes or to protect highly reactive anodes. Lithium ferrite nanostructures have been considered as low cost and environmental friendly material. grown crystalline LiFe5O8 films with a thickness of about 100 nm. The ordered ferrite thin films present a specific discharge capacity of 25 µAh/cm2 and current density of 10 μA/cm2, suggesting their potential use for fabricating sustainable solid batteries.
The capability of PLD technique to deposit films with controlled thickness and morphology resulted useful to study and to limit processes that negatively affect the performances of electrochemical cells such as lithium dendrite growth. In fact, to mitigate the formation and propagation of dendrite that are detrimental for the battery stability deposited on the anode surface a electrically insulating and ionically conductive BN film of about 1.2 µm. The BN film, deposited in argon atmosphere at a pressure of 50 mTorr posses a 3D hierarchical structure providing free space for Li accommodation during Li stripping and plating. The mechanisms involved in the beneficial effect of the coating of Li anodes with Al2O3 films were deeply investigated by . By depositing smooth Al2O3 layers with controlled thickness, the authors compare the cycling stability of coin cells with coated and uncoated electrodes. The Al2O3 film thickness was adjusted varying the deposition time from 1 to 3 h, obtaining films 15 nm and 82 nm thick, respectively. The authors observed that the thinner Al2O3 coatings assure a more efficient reaction of lithium deposition-dissolution. In fact, lithium grows with a plate-like morphology on the coated electrode, ensuring a good electronic conduction between the electrode and the deposited lithium that is mainly removed from the electrode surface during the dissolution cycle. Moreover, XPS analysis of the coated and uncoated electrodes after cycling, highlight the Al2O3 films are able to suppress the formation of lithium carbonate arising for the electrolyte decomposition.
Since TiO2 have a negligible volume variation during Li intercalation-deintercalation, anatase anodes have been proposed for long cycle life batteries. Although TiO2 is a low cost and non toxic materials, its major drawbacks are the poor electronic and ionic conductivities. Various strategies have been proposed to overcome these disadvantages, such as combining with other oxides like SnO2, which has a higher specific capacity. The deposition of a multilayered SnO2/TiO2 has been proposed by . The layered anode was grown alternating SnO2 and TiO2 layers (20 nm and 5 nm thick, respectively) for total thickness of 300 nm. Since the deposition experiments were carried out at room temperature, authors suggest that the electrode’s amorphous structure can play a beneficial role in its electrochemical performances, in particular considering the cycle stability. In fact, the surface of the coated electrode is characterized by a morphology without any cracks after 200 cycles. A different strategy proposed to overcome the drawbacks of TiO2 that limit its industrial applications is to tailor size and morphology of TiO2-based materials. With respect to the possibility to reduce the TiO2 morphology at the nanoscale, it is well known that during the ablation with femtosecond laser source the ejection of nanoparticles that retains the target stoichiometry take place, getting to the growth of films with a nanomorphology very different with respect to films obtained by nanosecond ablation (). To obtain compact, dense and nanostructured TiO2 films (Figure 2), femtosecond laser ablation of an anatase target has been proposed (). The authors studied the deposition mechanism and developed and characterised a TiO2/C layered anode suitable for microbatteries with lower charge transfer resistance, higher apparent Li+ diffusion and better cycling stability than reference microelectrodes.
FIGURE 2
SnO2 is an efficient anode for SIBs, but the high volume change during cycling due to Na insertion and de-insertion leads to cracking and degradation of electrochemical performance.
4 Electrolytes
The use of all-state batteries is a promising alternative to conventional batteries. In particular, the use of solid electrolytes (SEs) offers a number of advantages, including higher energy and power density, as well as improved safety. SEs are mainly divided into polymer-based and inorganic types, which include garnets, LISICON, NASICON, and perovskites. As regards garnet Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) a couple of study are focused on the deposition of Ta-doped LLZO, since doping with La stabilizes the cubic form of LLZO, which exhibits higher Li conductivity. In both of them, Ta-doped LLZO target material was enriched in Li content to balance the inevitable Li loss during deposition.
FIGURE 3

LLZTO film deposited by nanosecond PLD at a pressure of 10 Pa of O2 and room temperature (A) and its cross-section (B) with elemental mapping (Reproduced from
There are several studies regarding the PLD of lithium phosphates electrolytes (
Lastly new SE based on hydrides was proposed, in which the lightweight hydrogen atoms in polyanions facilitates their rotation, enabling effective ion transfer through the paddle-wheel mechanism (
5 Conclusion and outlooks
We have reviewed the most recent study on the preparation of thin films for cathodes, electrolytes and anodes for microbatteries application by PLD technique. In order to optimize the electrochemical performances of the deposited electroactive films, the deposition time has been varied, whereas films morphology strongly depends on the properties of the laser source, mainly the laser pulse length. The films’ crystallite size can be controlled varying the temperature of the substrate during the deposition experiments, but it has been show that anodes formed by amorphous films has higher stability with respect to crystalline one due to their capability to resist to volume changes during the intercalation-deintercalation process (
PLD is recognized has the technique of choice for deposition of coatings with complex composition, on the other hand the lithium loss during the growth of cathodes and electrolytes thin films require a deep knowledge and a careful control of the deposition conditions and can lead to materials with diminished performances.
Finally, the capability to perform electrochemical characterization of films containing lithium in situ, avoiding air/moisture exposure, holds significant importance and would represent a substantial advancement in the research, facilitating the comparison of data obtained from different laboratories.
Statements
Author contributions
MC: Writing–original draft, Writing–review and editing. RT: Writing–original draft, Writing–review and editing. AD: Writing–original draft, Writing–review and editing.
Funding
The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was funded by the Next-Generation EU–Italian NRRP, Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.5, call for the creation and strengthening of “Innovation Ecosystems”, building “Territorial R&D Leaders” (Directorial Decree n. 2021/3277)–project Tech4You–Technologies for climate change adaptation and quality of life improvement, n. ECS0000009. This work reflects only the authors’ views and opinions, neither the Ministry for University and for Research nor the European Commission can be considered responsible for them.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.
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Summary
Keywords
pulsed laser deposition, microbattery, cathodes, anodes, electrolytes
Citation
Curcio M, Teghil R and De Bonis A (2024) Thin-film microbattery fabrication by PLD: a comprehensive mini-review. Front. Coat. Dye In. 2:1401391. doi: 10.3389/frcdi.2024.1401391
Received
15 March 2024
Accepted
17 April 2024
Published
02 May 2024
Volume
2 - 2024
Edited by
Robert Wood, University of Southampton, United Kingdom
Reviewed by
Zhenxue Zhang, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
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© 2024 Curcio, Teghil and De Bonis.
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*Correspondence: Angela De Bonis, angela.debonis@unibas.it
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