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Robust All-Solid-State Batteries with Sodium Ion Electrolyte, Aluminum and Additive Manufacturing Inconel 625
Manuela C Baptista1,2,3, Antonio B Vale1,2, Jose M Costa1,3
1Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 27, 2025
Summary
This study shows that inert metallic electrodes can enable battery-like discharge in solid-state systems. This finding reveals the crucial role of interfacial electrostatics in battery operation, even without traditional redox reactions.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Solid-State Physics
Background:
- All-solid-state batteries are crucial for next-generation energy storage.
- Developing stable and efficient current collectors/electrodes is a key challenge.
- Understanding fundamental battery operation mechanisms is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate all-solid-state batteries using inert metallic current collectors/electrodes.
- To evaluate the electrochemical stability of Inconel 625 and aluminum with a Na ion solid electrolyte.
- To elucidate the driving forces behind battery operation in a system lacking traditional Faradaic reactions.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and testing of all-solid-state batteries with Inconel 625 (positive) and aluminum (negative) electrodes.
- Electrochemical characterization including cyclic voltammetry and long-term discharge tests.
- Post-mortem analysis using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.
- Scanning Kelvin probe measurements and density functional theory simulations.
Main Results:
- A robust device architecture was constructed, exhibiting a stable discharge plateau at ~1.1 V without Faradaic reactions.
- The cell maintained functionality for one year, delivering a capacity of 35 mAh.
- Inconel 625 showed excellent stability, while aluminum exhibited minor degradation.
- Interfacial electrostatics were identified as the primary driver for battery-like behavior.
Conclusions:
- Multifunctional metallic current collectors/electrodes can enable stable operation in all-solid-state batteries.
- Interfacial energetics play a critical role in sustaining battery discharge, even in capacity-less systems.
- This research provides fundamental insights into battery operation principles.
