Effect of SiO₂/B₂O₃ ratio on Li ion conductivity of a Li₂O-B₂O₃-SiO₂ glass electrolyte

A lithium ion conducting borosilicate glass was fabricated by a conventional melt quenching technique from a mixture of Li2CO3, B2O3 and SiO2 powders. The Li ion conductivity of the lithium borosilicate glasses was evaluated in terms of the SiO2/B2O3 ratio. In the Li2O-B2O3-SiO2 ternary glass, the glass forming region decreases with an increasing Li2O content. At the same Li2O, the crystallization tendency of the glass samples increases with the SiO2/B2O3 ratio, resulting in a reduced glass forming region in the Li2O-B2O3-SiO2 ternary glass. The electrical conductivity moderately depends on the SiO2/B2O3 ratio in the Li2O-B2O3-SiO2 ternary glass. The conductivity of the glasses slightly increases with the SiO2/B2O3 ratio. The observed phenomenon can be explained by the modification of the glass structure as a function of the SiO2 content.