Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 hr ago
Protective coating improves solid-state battery performance in lab tests
Researchers at Xidian University in China developed a thin coating to protect lithium metal in solid-state batteries.
These batteries use solid materials instead of the flammable liquid electrolytes found in conventional lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium metal can store much more charge than the graphite used in many current batteries, but it can react with other battery materials and form dangerous spikes.
In lab tests, coated batteries kept 82.3% of capacity after 300 cycles, compared with 43% for batteries using untreated lithium.
The coating also let the electrodes withstand a higher current before becoming unstable.
The treatment could make high-capacity batteries more durable, including batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage.
The researchers plan to test alternatives to indium, but commercial performance has not been proven.
Researchers at Xidian University developed a liquid-applied coating that improved the performance of lithium-metal anodes in solid-state battery laboratory tests.
Batteries using coated lithium retained 82.3% of their initial capacity after 300 charging cycles, compared with 43.0% for batteries using untreated lithium.
The coating forms a flexible, 12-micrometer-thick protective layer containing lithium fluoride and lithium-indium alloy nanoparticles.
Coated electrodes withstood a critical current density of 3.5 milliamperes per square centimeter, compared with 0.8 for untreated lithium.
The researchers said the approach could help stabilize batteries, but commercial performance has not been proven.
- Who
- Researchers at Xidian University, led by Professors Siwu Li, Weiwei Wu and Chuang Yu.
- What
- They developed a liquid-applied protective coating for lithium metal anodes. In lab tests, coated batteries retained more capacity after 300 cycles than batteries using untreated lithium.
- When
- The findings were published on 6 August 2026.
- Where
- Xidian University, China.
- Why
- The coating is intended to address instability between lithium metal and sulfide solid electrolytes and to suppress dangerous dendrite growth.
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- Capacity retention after 300 cycles
- 82.3% with coated lithium; 43.0% with untreated lithium
- Critical current density
- 3.5 milliamperes per square centimeter for coated electrodes; 0.8 for untreated lithium
- Coating thickness
- 12 micrometers
- Initial battery capacity
- 129.8 milliampere-hours per gram
- Publication
- Science China Chemistry, 6 August 2026
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This hybrid layer acts like a smart fortress