Anisotropic ionic conductivity of LiMn$_{1-x}$Fe$_x$PO$_4$ ($0\leq x \leq 1$) single crystals

Abstract: We report AC-impedance studies on a series of high-quality LiMn${1-x}$Fe$_x$PO$_4$ single crystals with $0\leq x \leq 1$. Our results confirm quasi-one-dimensional transport in LiFePO$_4$ with fast Li-diffusion along the $b$-axis. The conductivities along the crystallographic $b$-, $c$- and $a$-axis differ by a factor of about 10, respectively. Whereas, the activation energy $E{\rm A}$ of the effective diffusion process is particularly large for the $b$-axis and smallest for the $a$-axis. Remarkably, the $b$-axis ionic bulk conductivity of LiMn${0.5}$Fe${0.5}$PO$_4$ is of the same order of magnitude as in undoped LiFePO$_4$, which implies similarly fast Li-transport even upon 50~\% Mn-doping which, owing to the higher redox potential of the Mn$^{3+}$/Mn$^{2+}$-couple, yields enhanced energy density in lithium-ion batteries. The overall results of our impedance studies draw a far more complex picture than it would be expected from a simple one-dimensional ionic conductor. Our results suggest a strong contribution of crystal defects in real materials.