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The discovery of electricity changed the world, spawning a host of inventions that made our lives safer, healthier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. Batteries took this discovery to a new level, providing a way to store electricity and use it to power mobile devices.

Lithium-ion batteries currently dominate the market, but safer, higher-capacity solid-state batteries could become the power source for the future world and may even help humans escape the effects of climate change.

Solid-state battery cells developed as next-generation CeraCharge materials. Image source: TDK official website

Start with a small battery

A handful of small solid-state batteries are already in use in some watches and medical implants.

Japanese electronics manufacturer TDK announced that it has successfully developed a new version of the CeraCharge solid-state battery. Its unit volume energy density is as high as 1,000 watt-hours per liter, which is about 100 times the energy density of TDK's traditional solid-state batteries. TDK did not reveal too many details about the battery's proprietary technology, but has stated that it uses a lithium alloy anode and an oxide-based solid electrolyte, which makes it "extremely safe."

The energy storage capacity of the new CeraCharge battery means that longer battery life or more compact designs will soon become a reality. In addition, the battery has the potential to become a rechargeable alternative to high-energy-density disposable button batteries.

TDK initially plans to use the battery in small electronic products such as wireless headphones, hearing aids and smart watches, and has expressed its desire to enter broader markets such as smartphones.

"As the battery area increases, it becomes increasingly difficult to manufacture a uniform and high-density structure, which can lead to structural defects such as cracks and deformation," said Hiroshi Sato, Section Chief of TDK's Energy Development Department. "TDK plans to start with small batteries, accumulate production and practical experience, and then gradually explore the commercial potential of large batteries."

Gradually moving towards industrialization

At present, although lithium-ion batteries have made significant progress in cost-effectiveness and performance, their limited charging time, range anxiety and safety concerns are still the key obstacles that prevent electric vehicles from fully replacing internal combustion engine vehicles. In this context, solid-state batteries, as a powerful tool for electric vehicle technology innovation, are gradually moving from the research and development stage to industrialization.

In 2023, Toyota and Japanese energy company Idemitsu Kosan announced that they would start solid-state battery production from 2027 to 2028.

Mercedes-Benz is also optimistic about solid-state batteries. The company believes that solid-state car batteries can provide almost twice the driving range of lithium-ion batteries, and they plan to put such batteries into mass production by 2030.

Recently, Volkswagen's battery company PowerCo reached a strategic cooperation with QuantumScape, a US all-solid-state battery developer, to introduce solid-state lithium metal battery technology, aiming to produce batteries needed for up to 1 million electric vehicles each year.

QuantumScape's unique technology combines solid and liquid electrolytes, effectively avoiding the dendrite problem and is expected to increase the range of electric vehicles from the current 500-plus kilometers to 800 kilometers, which will further promote the commercialization of solid-state battery technology.

Boosting grid energy storage

Currently, lithium-ion batteries are the core of battery energy storage systems, but solid-state batteries are seen as a potential better solution due to their superior safety, longer cycle life and higher energy density. However, the large-scale application of solid-state batteries still needs to overcome the difficulties of high manufacturing costs and complex processes for large-size batteries.

Dragonfly Energy is one of the companies trying to solve this problem. In 2023, the company obtained a manufacturing technology patent that is expected to remove technical barriers to the manufacture of solid-state batteries in the field of grid energy storage. At the same time, American battery manufacturer ION Storage Systems started a new factory in April this year, focusing on the production of solid-state batteries using ceramic electrolytes and lithium metal anodes to meet the needs of multiple fields such as grid storage and electric vehicles. Its goal is to expand production capacity to 0.5 GWh by 2028.

Diversified material forms

Although it may take several years for electric vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries to achieve large-scale commercialization, and even longer to help build a clean electricity network, it is encouraging to see this technology steadily moving from the ivory tower of scientific research to industrialization.

In January this year, researchers at Harvard University in the United States launched a solid-state battery with silicon in the anode, which can be fully charged in 10 minutes. At the end of July, Danish researchers reported that they had developed a lithium-free solid-state battery made of minerals found in rocks. Its solid electrolyte material is cheap, efficient, and environmentally friendly, and its performance is better than that of solid lithium-based electrolytes.

As long as the wave of innovation continues to surge, the future world will witness solid-state battery technology in a variety of material forms, giving electric vehicles a more lasting "vitality" and a longer journey, and will help the power grid achieve unprecedented cleanliness and stability, leading mankind into a new era of greener and more efficient energy. (Reporter Zhang Jiaxin)