Lithium filaments wedge open cracks in solid

Kelsey B. Hatzell is at the Andinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, USA.

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Maha Yusuf is in the Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.

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Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are crucial in a range of applications, including portable electronics, electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage. Such batteries depend on the movement of lithium ions between an anode and a cathode through a liquid electrolyte. A promising strategy for the next generation of rechargeable batteries is the use of solid electrolytes and an anode made of lithium metal — such cells are known as lithium-metal solid-state batteries. However, these devices are prone to a failure mechanism in which filaments of lithium, known as dendrites, form during battery operation and pierce the electrolyte. Writing in Nature, Ning et al.1 cast light on this mechanism, revealing details that might bring practically useful lithium-metal solid-state batteries closer to reality.

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Nature 618, 247-248 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01813-4

Ning, Z. et al. Nature 618, 287–293 (2023).

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Jürgen, J. & Zeier, W. G. Nature Energy 8, 230–240 (2023).

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Bates, A. M. et al. Joule 6, 742–755 (2022).

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Hatzell, K. B. et al. ACS Energy Lett. 5, 922–934 (2020).

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Lee, K., Kazyak, E., Wang, M. J., Dasgupta, N. P. & Sakamoto, J. Joule 6, 2547–2565 (2022).

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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