Penn State researchers are creating solid-state batteries with ceramic-polymer composites to enhance stability and safety compared to lithium-ion batteries.
For years, lithium-ion batteries have powered everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. But their reliance on liquid electrolytes has raised significant safety concerns due to their instability, which can lead to fire hazards.
Researchers at Penn State are now working on a safer and more reliable alternative: solid-state electrolytes for use in batteries that could revolutionize consumer electronics and electric vehicles.What are solid-state batteries?Solid-state batteries, unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, use solid-state electrolytes rather than liquid electrolytes. Hongtao Sun, an assistant professor of industrial and manufacturing engineering at Penn State, explains the fundamental difference. “Rechargeable batteries contain two internal electrodes: an anode on one side and a cathode on the other,” Sun said. “Electrolytes serve as a bridge between these two electrodes, providing fast transport for conductivity. Lithium-ion batteries use liquid electrolytes, while solid-state batteries use SSEs.”Solid-state batteries offer numerous advantages, including improved stability and safety, compared to liquid-based systems. However, Sun notes that the technology still faces significant hurdles, particularly when it comes to manufacturing and ensuring the conductivity of the solid electrolytes.Overcoming manufacturing challenges with cold sinteringOne of the primary obstacles to producing solid-state batteries is the high temperatures involved in fabricating ceramic-based SSEs. These high temperatures can compromise the production process and hinder their practical implementation. To address this issue, Sun and his team employed a technique known as cold sintering. Cold sintering uses pressure and a small amount of liquid solvent to form ceramic-polymer composites at much lower temperatures than traditional methods.“The process is called ‘cold’ because it operates at much lower temperatures than traditional sintering,” Sun said. “We use pressure and a small amount of liquid solvent to complete the process, making it far more energy-efficient.”This innovative method allows for the incorporation of a highly conductive ceramic-polymer composite known as LATP-PILG, which improves the overall efficiency of the battery. Penn State researchers, including graduate student Ta-Wei Wang, pictured, recently published their work investigating the application of an advanced manufacturing technique in battery creation. Credit: Hongtao SunThe advantages of LATP-PILG in solid-state batteriesTraditional ceramic-based SSEs are made up of polycrystalline grains that can impede the flow of ions, reducing battery performance. Sun’s team addressed this issue by co-sintering LATP ceramics with PILG to create a polymer-in-ceramic composite. This new composite enhances the ion transport across engineered boundaries, rather than through the defective natural interfaces that hinder conductivity in traditional ceramic materials.“One of the fabrication challenges of LATP-based composite SSEs is that the sintering temperature for ceramic is very high, to the point that traditional sintering would actually burn up any additives such as the polymer compound before the ceramic could be properly densified,” Sun explained. “This is why we had to implement cold sintering, to keep temperatures much lower.”The result is a solid-state electrolyte that operates efficiently at room temperature, offering improved ionic conductivity. Sun also highlights another significant advantage of their approach: “In addition to improved conductivity, our polymer-in-ceramic composite SSE showcased a very wide voltage window, between 0 to 5.5 volts,” Sun said. “The large voltage window of our ceramic SSEs supports the use of high-voltage cathodes, allowing the battery to generate more energy overall.”From batteries to broader manufacturingSun believes the cold sintering process could have far-reaching implications beyond battery technology. He envisions its application in industries such as semiconductor manufacturing, where ceramic composite materials are in high demand. However, the ultimate goal is to create a scalable, sustainable manufacturing system that supports large-scale production and recyclability of these materials.“Our next goal is to develop a sustainable manufacturing system that supports large-scale production and recyclability, as that will be the key towards industrial applications for this technology,” Sun concluded. “That is the big vision we hope to work towards over the coming years.”The research has been published in the journal Materials Today Energy.
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