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A new material innovation may help solve one of the most persistent problems in next-generation battery technology. Researchers have developed a self-healing interlayer that significantly improves the durability and safety of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs), a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries.
Unlike today’s widely used batteries, which rely on flammable liquid electrolytes, ASSLMBs use solid materials to transfer charge between the anode and cathode. This switch eliminates many fire risks, but introduces a different challenge: over time, the interface between the solid lithium metal anode and the solid electrolyte becomes unstable. Repeated charging and discharging can create micro-gaps at the contact surface, leading to rapid performance loss and battery failure.
To address this, scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a new interfacial layer known as DAI (Dynamically Adaptive Interphase). The layer introduces mobile iodide ions into the solid electrolyte during operation. These ions actively migrate to fill emerging gaps, maintaining close contact between battery components. As a result, the battery can continue operating efficiently without relying on constant external pressure to keep layers together — a requirement that has so far limited the practical use of solid-state batteries, according to TechXplore.
In lab tests, cells with the DAI layer retained over 90% of their energy capacity after 2,400 charge cycles. The researchers also assembled and tested a pouch cell — a common format for electric vehicles and portable electronics — which maintained more than 74% of its capacity after 300 cycles, without requiring external compression.
While the technology is still in the research phase, its implications are wide-ranging. A scalable self-healing system could lead to safer, more environmentally friendly, longer-lasting batteries for electric vehicles, grid storage, and other applications, all while simplifying manufacturing. By removing the need for pressure-based designs, battery packs could become more compact, affordable and easier to produce at scale.
The research was first published in the Nature Sustainability Journal.
