ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Nanocomposites of lithium doped Zinc Oxide (LZO) solid electrolytes with enhanced ionic conductivity for lithium batteries

M. Thangaraj, E. Kavitha, S. I. Srikrishna Ramya, and K. Kathiresan

Department of Physics, PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, Dindigul, India

E-mail: kathirtce@gmail.com

Received: 4 November 2025  Accepted: 4 January 2026

Abstract:

Defect-engineered oxide semiconductors have recently attracted attention as alternative electrolyte materials for high-temperature and interfacial energy‐storage applications. In this study, lithium-doped zinc oxide (LZO) nanocomposites were synthesized via a facile co-precipitation route and systematically investigated to evaluate their ionic transport behaviour. Structural and spectroscopic analyses confirm the successful incorporation of Li into the ZnO lattice without the formation of secondary phases, accompanied by defect and oxygen-vacancy generation. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals thermally activated conductivity with a maximum value of 2.7 × 10⁻² S·cm⁻¹ at 550 °C and an activation energy of approximately 0.3 eV. The observed transport behaviour is attributed to defect-assisted ionic migration along grain boundaries rather than conventional superionic conduction. While the conductivity of LZO remains lower than that of state-of-the-art sulfide and oxide solid electrolytes, the present work demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing doped oxide semiconductors as functional electrolyte or interfacial layers in high-temperature and composite lithium battery architectures.

Keywords: Semiconductor electrolytes; Low-operating temperature; Increased ionic conductivity; Electrolyte for Li batteries

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04650-7

Chemical Papers 80 (5) 5235–5241 (2026)