YSZ thin film nanostructured battery for on-chip energy storage applications

• Published in: Journal of energy storage Vol. 28; p. 101220
• Main Authors: Lizarraga, Eder, Read, John, Solorio, Fernando, Torres, Gerson, Vazquez, Jorge, Murillo, Eduardo, Soto, Gerardo, Tiznado, Hugo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2020
• Subjects: Battery; Energy storage; On-chip power; Solid state; Thin films; Transition metal electrodes; YSZ; Thin films; YSZ; Solid state; On-chip power; Battery; Transition metal electrodes; Energy storage
• ISSN: 2352-152X; 2352-1538
• DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2020.101220

•YSZ films used as electrolyte in solid state storage device.•Ultrathin YSZ (< 50 nm) was deposited by atomic layer deposition on transition metal/oxides electrodes.•The discharge behavior is similar to those of batteries.•Energy storage depends on the operation temperature.
Thin film solid-state batteries stand out as desired components to produce on-chip energy storage, sometimes known as ‘power on a chip’. Multilayer structures have been tried for this purpose. The characteristics of both electrodes and the solid electrolyte require careful choice to meet this need. In this paper, we propose a thin-film battery using zirconia stabilized with yttria as the electrode separator and transition metal/oxides — here ruthenium oxide and gold — as electrodes. We show promising results, given that the objectives of merit (stored energy and energy density) compete with other cutting-edge thin film energy storage devices. While optimistic about the possibility of producing a usable battery, several technical problems remain to be solved. One of them is the operating temperature: in our prototype the peak performance is at 175°C. We conclude that YSZ is able to fulfill the electrolytic task, since its ionic conduction, with a thickness of 50 nm, allows the oxidation-reduction reactions to be carried out in the ruthenium oxide layer; in this thickness their parasitic currents can be kept low.
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