Samsung, MIT say their solid-state batteries could last a lifetime

The researchers, who published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Materials, described the solid-state electrolytes as an improvement over today’s lithium-ion batteries.

Their research found that a solid electrolyte would be more suitable than the liquid type that is now in use in most rechargeable batteries.

The US Navy is studying catastrophic failures and explosion of lithium-ion batteries in a bid to create safer enclosures for their utilization and transport. But as for safety, replacing the electrolyte would be the key, Ceder adds: “All of the fires you’ve seen, with Boeing, Tesla, and others, they are all electrolyte fires”.

Solid-state-electrolyte batteries are also safer as they do not overheat and are not flammable.

A past problem with solid electrolytes is that they could not conduct ions fast enough to be efficient energy producers.

In what could become one of the most important breakthroughs in battery technology in recent times, Samsung Electronics and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have announced that the presence of solid instead of liquid electrolyte in batteries could potentially help extend the batteries’ lifetime indefinitely, improve safety and significantly boost the amount of energy stored in a given amount of space, thereby solving “most of the remaining issues in battery lifetime, safety and cost”, according to the MIT. [With a solid electrolyte] there’s no safety problem – you could throw it against the wall, drive a nail through it – there’s nothing there to burn.

This might not mean much to the lay person, but for the researchers looking for just such a solution, one that produces high ionic conductivity in the environment they’d aimed for, it means a far better battery.

The proposed solid electrolyte also holds other advantages, he says: “With a solid-state electrolyte, there’s virtually no degradation reactions left” – meaning such batteries could last through “hundreds of thousands of cycles“.

“There was a view that solids can not conduct fast enough”, Ceder said.

The initial work focused on materials known as superionic lithium-ion conductors – compounds of lithium, germanium, phosphorus and sulphur.

Ceder said solid-state electrolytes could be “a real game-changer” creating “almost a flawless battery”. This partnership also led to other advancements, such as the application of quantum-dot materials to develop very efficient sodium batteries and solar cells.

The solid-state electrolyte not only enables low temperature operation, it also brings a 20% increase in power density.

The technology isn’t remotely ready for commercial manufacture, although that’s what Samsung and the MIT team are aiming for.