Browse recent research findings on solid-state batteries, including key challenges to adoption, various alternative materials, and operando studies that offer new insights.
As we continue to shift at a global level towards renewable integration and carbon reduction, it is no wonder that battery science continues to be one of the most pressing and prevalent research topics.
Building on the insights from this editorial, this article presents recent research findings and discussions published in ACS journals and their broader industry impacts. We will examine key highlights in a joint Collection from Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) and ACS Energy Letters, including trending reviews and perspectives on the advantages of solid-state batteries over conventional lithium-ion batteries, key challenges to adoption, various alternative materials, and operando studies that offer new insights.
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Trending Perspectives
Key Challenges
Research on Various Alternative Materials
Operando Studies
Trending Perspectives
In the past ten years, solid-state batteries have moved from theoretical promise to tangible progress, becoming one of the most compelling alternatives to today’s lithium-ion systems. By replacing flammable liquid electrolyte with solid materials, manufacturers open the door to safer cells and the possibility of pairing with high-capacity anodes such as lithium metal or silicon, both of which can dramatically raise energy density.
For industry leaders, the implications are significant. Higher-performing batteries could extend range for electric vehicles, shrink the footprint of consumer electronics, and unlock new efficiencies in grid-scale energy storage.
Key Challenges
Still, several hurdles remain before solid-state technologies can be deployed at industrial scale. Namely, these challenges include identifying solid electrolytes with sufficient ionic conductivity under ambient conditions, ensuring these electrolytes remain chemically stable across wide voltage windows, and developing design and operational strategies that mitigate mechanical stresses during cycling while preserving long-term performance.
Alternatives to the Lithium-Ion Battery
Research groups worldwide are pushing forward with new classes of materials that address these hurdles. Organic frameworks, polymers, oxides, sulfides, and halides each present unique advantages in terms of manufacturability, stability, or conductivity. Among the most promising are oxyhalides, which combine exceptional ionic transport properties with mechanical resilience, making them attractive for high-performance commercial cells.
Practical deployment, however, is complicated by the interfaces inside a solid-state battery. Every junction has the potential to lose contact or degrade under the stresses of repeated charging and discharging. These instabilities can trigger cracks, shorts, or other failures, particularly when electrodes expand and contract with use. To address this, researchers are increasingly using advanced real-time diagnostic tools to study how dendrites form and how voids appear, insights that help refine both materials and engineering strategies.
Success will require coordinated advances in both material science and system design. The transition from lab-scale prototypes to manufacturable pouch cells hinges on mastering these interfacial and mechanical issues, ensuring that solid-state batteries deliver not only higher energy densities but also the durability and reliability required for mass-market applications.
Operando Studies
Recent operando studies have provided insights into real-time performance of solid-state battery advancements. For example, one study showed that modifying synthesis methods and stoichiometry in halide superionic conductors like Li₃YCl₆ can boost lithium-ion conductivity by up to tenfold. A new off-stoichiometric phase, Li₂.₆₁Y₁.₁₃Cl₆, achieved 0.47 mS cm⁻¹ conductivity and ~90% capacity retention after 1000 cycles. The findings demonstrate how defect engineering enables more efficient, durable solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries.
Another study revealed that LiNbOCl₄ achieves ~11 mS·cm⁻¹ conductivity due to a highly flexible, disordered oxyhalide framework that lowers Li⁺ migration barriers. This “flex-ion” behavior enables fast diffusion and points to new design strategies for soft solid electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries.
Further, a different study indicated that high-entropy laminates (HE-LixMPS₃) enable fast Li⁺ transport (~5 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹) and strong mechanical stability in ultrathin films. Batteries built with these electrolytes show long cycle life and 99.8% efficiency over 2000 cycles, making them promising for high-power all-solid-state lithium metal batteries.
These operando studies highlight how structural flexibility, defect engineering, and novel material architectures directly translate into higher conductivity and longer cycle life. Such real-time insights are accelerating the design of next-generation solid electrolytes that can meet the performance and durability demands of industrial applications.
To browse more solid-state battery insights, visit the joint Collection from JACS and ACS Energy Letters below.
Collection
Recent Advances in Solid-State Batteries
This Collection showcases the latest advancements in solid electrolyte materials, and it addresses key challenges such as achieving high ionic conductivities, ensuring thermodynamic stability, and preventing chemo-mechanical damage. Dive into the latest breakthroughs that are pushing the boundaries of energy storage, and discover how researchers are tackling challenges to pave the way for the next generation of batteries.
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