Solid-state batteries (SSBs) remain far from mainstream adoption in battery energy storage systems (BESS), as their potential benefits have yet to outweigh high costs, manufacturing challenges and limited commercial experience. Although they promise improved safety, higher energy density and potentially longer lifetimes, grid-scale storage has different priorities from electric vehicles. For BESS applications, affordability, cycle life, reliability, safety and bankability are more important than energy density, making established lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries difficult to displace.

SSBs also also face challenges related to uneven lithium plating and stripping during operation, which can cause interfacial instability, void formation and lithium (Li) filament growth. These effects can accelerate degradation, increase the risk of internal short circuits and compromise the long-term reliability required for stationary energy storage applications.

To address this challenge, researchers at South Korea’s Dongguk University have developed an anode-free all-solid-state battery (ASSB) in which Li from the cathode is deposited directly onto a bare current collector during the initial charging cycle, forming an anode in situ. “This architecture enhances volumetric energy density and simplifies fabrication, particularly for thin-film batteries. However, it is vulnerable to Li loss caused by uneven deposition, electrically isolated ‘dead’ lithium, or loss of contact with the solid electrolyte during stripping, compromising battery stability and capacity,” they explained.

The proposed innovation relies on what the research group describes as an anode-less thin-film battery platform using an ultrathin tin/carbon (Sn/C) interlayer, which is intended to eliminate the need for a conventional lithium-metal anode during manufacturing. Instead, a very thin coating of tin and carbon is applied to the anode-side current collector to control how lithium deposits during charging.

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