Scientists observe lithium dendrites growing in batteries for the first time, revealing why they snap and trigger failures.
Scientists have directly observed how tiny metal structures called lithium dendrites grow inside lithium-ion batteries, revealing why they can damage batteries and cause dangerous short circuits.The needle-like formations develop on the anode, the negative terminal of a battery.
If they grow long enough, they can pierce the internal separator and reach the cathode, creating an internal short that can lead to battery failure.While dendrites have been studied for years, researchers had never fully understood their mechanical behavior during growth inside a working battery. Observing them has been difficult because they form at the nanoscale and develop within sealed battery cells.In the new study, researchers from universities in the U.S. and Singapore combined experiments and simulations to capture how dendrites crystallize and behave as they form inside batteries.Probing fragile metal needlesTo examine the structures, scientists built specialized experimental platforms capable of isolating and testing dendrites taken from operating batteries. Lithium is extremely reactive, meaning the samples had to be handled in sealed environments to avoid exposure to air.“To enable the quantitative study of lithium dendrites, we developed customized sample preparation and mechanical characterization platforms for such delicate work,” said Boyu Zhang, a Rice doctoral alum and co-lead author of the study.The researchers used high-resolution electron microscopy to observe how individual dendrites deform under stress. This allowed them to analyze their strength and structural behavior in ways that had not been possible before.Lithium dendrites are extremely small, roughly 100 times thinner than the width of a human hair. They grow like microscopic branches from the anode during battery charging cycles.Their growth has long been linked to battery degradation and safety risks. If dendrites break off, they can become electrically isolated, forming what researchers call dead lithium. This reduces the battery’s capacity over time.“Lithium dendrites are widely recognized as one of the biggest obstacles to the commercialization of lithium-metal batteries,” said Xing Liu, an assistant professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at New Jersey Institute of Technology.Stronger than expectedFor years, scientists believed lithium dendrites were soft and flexible because lithium metal itself is known to be relatively pliable.However, the experiments revealed something very different. Instead of bending easily, the dendrites behaved like brittle structures that can snap under stress.“Lithium dendrites have long been assumed to be soft and ductile, like Play-Doh,” Liu said. “But our observations suggest that they may instead be strong and brittle — snapping more like dry spaghetti.”Researchers discovered that as dendrites grow, they become coated with a thin layer known as the solid electrolyte interphase, or SEI. This coating makes the dendrites stiffer and more needle-like.Because of this rigidity, the structures can puncture battery separators and electrolytes, increasing the risk of internal short circuits. When they fracture, the fragments accumulate as dead lithium inside the cell, further reducing battery performance.“There is no practical method to ‘clear’ dendrites from a working battery cell,” Liu added.Understanding how these structures form and fail could help engineers design safer next-generation batteries. Researchers say insights from the study may help guide strategies such as modifying anode materials or using lithium alloys to limit brittle fracture and dendrite growth.The findings could play an important role in improving lithium-metal batteries, which promise higher energy density than today’s lithium-ion technology but remain limited by dendrite formation.The study was published in the journal Science.
Battery Safety Energy Storage Lithium Dendrites Lithium-Ion Batteries Lithium-Metal Batteries Materials Science Nanomechanics
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