According to the American Physicist Network, a Japanese research team has developed a solid-state dielectric that can generate current like an electrolyte, and used it to make a solid-state lithium battery with conductivity that can reach the level of existing liquid lithium-ion batteries. . The researchers say that because of the tighter and stronger solids, this highly conductive solid-state lithium battery can be powered over a wider temperature range, with greater resistance to physical damage and high temperatures. Related research is published in the journal Nature Materials.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles due to their high energy efficiency, good recharge performance, and low loss. At present, high-efficiency, high-density chemical batteries can only be realized by liquid dielectrics, which are relatively fragile and require multiple safety measures for the battery, which makes the large-scale battery system complicated and expensive. However, the actual conductivity of the existing solid dielectric is very low, and can only reach about one tenth of the liquid electrolyte, and is sensitive to temperature changes, and the working temperature is limited to the range of 50 ° C to 80 ° C.

The new material developed by the research team called lithium super-ion conductor still uses lithium as the ion conductor, but they are coated with a layer of crystal structure. The natural crystal lattice becomes a small hole that allows ions to pass through, and the outer structure is formed. A channel that allows ions to move. They tested the solid-state lithium battery and found that it is electrically conductive to the current liquid lithium-ion battery, and the new battery can operate in the temperature range of -100 ° C to 100 ° C.

The researchers pointed out that this solid-state dielectric battery is easy to mold, mold and assemble in manufacturing, the manufacturing process is simpler and cheaper, and the stability is good and non-volatile. If mass production is expected to reduce the price of consumer electronics, especially in the field of electric vehicles where batteries account for nearly half of the cost.