Insights into silicon solid-state battery mechanical degradations with Operando FIB-SEM and Digital image correlation
Year: 2026
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: The development of solid-state batteries (SSBs) stands on understanding and mitigating mechanical degradation mechanisms, particularly in negative electrodes. Silicon’s (Si) exceptional specific energy (3579 mAh·g–1) is outweighed by its 300% volume change during full lithiation, which induces severe mechanical stress and structural degradations [1]. Using operando Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) combined with Digital Image Correlation (DIC), we investigated the mechanical degradation of a composite negative electrode composed of Si, Li6PS5Cl solid electrolyte, and carbon additives at the nm scale [2], [3]. By monitoring the morphology evolution of the composite electrode during cycling, the results reveal that lithiation at the negative electrode/separator interface (physical interface) induces the nucleation and propagation of cracks, which not only degrade the electrode/separator interface integrity but also propagate into the separator, leading to significant mechanical failure and reduced battery performance (Figure 1). This work provides unprecedented insights into the failure mechanisms at the heart of SSB degradation, emphasizing the critical role of interface stability in designing durable solid-state battery architectures.
Source: HAL
Authors: Perrenot, Patrice, Stamati, Olga
Language: English
Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204618756