UC Berkeley

Antiperovskite structure compounds (X3AB, where X is an alkali cation and A and B are anions) have the potential for highly correlated motion between the cation and a cluster anion on the A or B site. This so-called “paddle-wheel” mechanism may be the basis for enhanced cation mobility in solid electrolytes. Through combined experiments and modeling, the first instance of a double paddle-wheel mechanism, leading to fast sodium ion conduction in the antiperovskite Na3−xO1−x(NH2)x(BH4), is shown. As the concentration of amide (NH2−) cluster anions is increased, large positive deviations in ionic conductivity above that predicted from a vacancy diffusion model are observed. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, and NMR, the cluster anion rotational dynamics are characterized and it is found that cation mobility is influenced by the rotation of both NH2− and BH4− species, resulting in sodium ion conductivity a factor of 102 higher at x = 1 than expected for the vacancy mechanism alone. Generalization of this phenomenon to other compounds could accelerate fast ion conductor exploration and design.