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Tailoring inorganic–polymer composites for the mass production of solid-state batteries

Nature Reviews Materials volume 6, pages 1003–1019 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) have recently been revived to increase the energy density and eliminate safety concerns associated with conventional Li-ion batteries with flammable liquid electrolytes. To achieve large-scale, low-cost production of SSBs as soon as possible, it would be advantageous to modify the mature manufacturing platform, involving slurry casting and roll-to-roll technologies, used for conventional Li-ion batteries for application to SSBs. However, the manufacturing of SSBs depends on the development of suitable solid electrolytes. Inorganic–polymer composite electrolytes combine the advantages of inorganic and polymer solid electrolytes, making them particularly suitable for the mass production of SSBs. In this Review, we discuss the properties of solid electrolytes comprising inorganic–polymer composites and outline the design of composite electrolytes for realizing high-performance devices. We also assess the challenges of integrating the composite electrolytes into batteries, which will enable the mass production of SSBs.

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Fig. 1: Production processes for Li-ion batteries.
Fig. 2: Ion transport in inorganic–polymer composite electrolytes.
Fig. 3: Stability of inorganic–polymer composite electrolytes.
Fig. 4: Inorganic–polymer composite cathodes and anodes.
Fig. 5: Interfaces between electrode and inorganic–polymer composite electrolyte layers.
Fig. 6: Fabrication of solid-state batteries with inorganic–polymer composite electrolytes.

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Acknowledgements

C.-W.N. and L.-Z.F. acknowledge support from the Basic Science Center Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under grant nos. 51788104 and 51532002. The authors are grateful to L. Chen, Y. Liang, X. Liu, G. Wang, F. Liu and J. Yi for help with the drawing of graphics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory for Advanced Energy Materials and Technologies, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, China

    Li-Zhen Fan

  2. Qingtao Research Institute, Qingtao Energy Development Inc., Kunshan, China

    Hongcai He

  3. State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Ce-Wen Nan

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All authors contributed to the discussion of content, and writing and editing of the article prior to submission. C.-W.N. conceived the outline and L.-Z.F. researched the data.

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H.H. is employed at Qingtao Energy Development Inc., which develops and commercializes solid-state batteries. C.-W.N. is one of the co-founders of Qingtao. L.-Z.F. declares no competing interests.

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Fan, LZ., He, H. & Nan, CW. Tailoring inorganic–polymer composites for the mass production of solid-state batteries. Nat Rev Mater 6, 1003–1019 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-021-00320-0

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