Solid State Batteries

Grain Selection Growth of Soft Netal in Electrochemical Processes The effects of lithium grain size, selection, and growth on the kinetic limitations of lithium metal batteries are still poorly understood. A new chemo-mechanical-thermal model is proposed to understand the mechanisms governing the selection of each grain. The total energy of a grain can be described in terms of surface energy, lattice strain, and thermal energy.

By finding the difference in total energies between grains, a predictive model can be built to determine grain selection. The authors find that commonly applied stresses 10 MPa) are sufficient to modify the lithium grain selection criteria, as are temperature changes as small as the difference between room temperature and 80C. The thermal model results were validated by an experimental full cell setup, which found a texture transition from 001) towards 101) grain preference within the temperature change. When the model is instead used to inspect sodium and potassium, the authors found that high-diffusion grains are preferred for room temperature operation at a wide variety of stresses, indicating good compatibility for solid state batteries.

Source: Zhang et al., Joule, 2025

Grain selection between the lithium metal 101) and 001) orientations can be predicted, allowing for better control of diffusion kinetics in solid state batteries.

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