Did Scientists Just Solve The Biggest Mystery Holding Back Solid-State Batteries
Researchers have identified the physical causes behind short circuits in solid-state batteries, which have long hindered their commercial viability. Studies from the Max Planck Institute and MIT suggest that internal pressure and electrical imbalances are responsible for the failure of these batteries.
Why it matters
Solving these fundamental engineering problems could accelerate the transition to safer, higher-density solid-state batteries for electric vehicles and other applications.
Scientists now know why solid-state batteries have repeatedly failed. Two separate studies have identified the physical processes responsible for the short circuits that have delayed commercialization for years, turning one of the industry's biggest unknowns into a defined engineering problem. For years, engineers knew how solid-state batteries were failing, but not why. The batteries repeatedly developed internal short circuits as microscopic lithium structures formed inside the cell and eventually pierced the barrier separating the battery's positive and negative sides. Researchers could see what was happening after the fact, but they couldn't explain what caused those structures to form or how they managed to penetrate a material specifically designed to block them. Two independent research teams have now answered different parts of that question.
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