Modeling mechanical stress in solid-state lithium batteries yields insights into battery microstructure
Thursday, June 18, 2015 - 07:00
in Physics & Chemistry
To overcome the danger of fires and increase the energy density of lithium batteries, researchers are developing solid-state lithium batteries that replace flammable liquid electrolytes with a safer solid electrolyte. These solid-state lithium batteries are like a tightly connected sandwich of cathode, electrolyte, and anode, and common problems are separation of these layers from each other and mechanical degradation within the layers, which leads to weaker battery performance and eventual failure. "In particular, for all solid-state batteries, the mechanical degradation is very significant for the durability of the battery," explains Giovanna Bucci, a postdoc in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.