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 Li5+xSrxLa3-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 mu m were fabricated using this approach. The total conductivities at 298 K of Li5La3Bi2O12 and Li5La3Bi2O12 ceramics prepared by the SPS method are 5.1 x 10(-5) and 6.8 x 10(-5) S/cm, respectively, 2 times higher than that of samples prepared by the conventional sintering method.