Designing Reliable Cathode System for High-Performance Inorganic Solid-State Pouch Cells

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) based on inorganic solid electrolytes fascinate a large body of researchers in terms of overcoming the inferior energy density and safety issues of existing lithium-ion batteries. To date, the cathode designs in the ASSBs achieve remarkable achievements, adding the urgency of scaling up the battery system toward inorganic solid-state pouch cell configuration for the application market. Herein, the recent developments of cathode materials and the design considerations for their application in the pouch cell format are reviewed to straighten out the roadmap of ASSBs. Specifically, the intercalation compounds and the conversion materials with conversion chemistries are highlighted and discussed as two potentially valuable material types. This review focuses on the basic electrochemical mechanisms, mechanical contact issues, and sheet-type structure in inorganic solid-state pouch cells with corresponding perspectives, thus guiding the future research direction. Finally, the benchmarks for manufacturing inorganic solid-state pouch cells to meet practical high energy density targets are provided in this review for the development of commercially viable products.