SLAC and Stanford researchers found that compressing solid-state battery material reduced the formation of lithium-filled intrusions called dendrites, leading to faster charging and longer battery life.
Key takeways:
- A SLAC/Stanford University research team found they could prevent short-circuiting of solid-state batteries by deflecting the dendrite propagation direction using mechanical compression.
- They provided direct evidence that dendrites start in the interior rather than merely at the surface of the electrolyte, settling a long-standing debate within the field.
- The results could have implications for future battery design, by incorporating built-in mechanical compression or electrolytes with more defect-free interiors that suppress dendrite initiation.
Lithium-ion batteries power transportation and grid storage and enable our digital lives, but these ubiquitous batteries require frequent recharging and can fail over time.
To make batteries more reliable and longer lasting, researchers are exploring how to replace liquids inside batteries with a solid ceramic substance that could improve their performance.
But researchers must first overcome a big problem: cracks filled with lithium that form within the solid material during charging, causing the batteries to quickly short-circuit. When that happens, devices powered by these batteries become useless.
Researchers have long debated whether these cracks and the lithium metal inside them, called dendrites, form at the surface or inside the solid material – a key insight needed to figure out how to stop them from forming.
Now, in a study published in the journal Nature, researchers have discovered a way to track these dendrites and suppress them enough to keep the battery from short-circuiting.
Read more on the SLAC website