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Highly Stable Quasi-Solid-State Sodium Batteries via Facile Grain Boundary Engineering
Baiheng Li1, Peiyu Wang1, Huilin Qing1
1Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, 15 Thayer Drive, Hanover, New Hampshire 03755, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|March 2, 2026
Summary
Researchers engineered solid-state sodium batteries by coating sodium superionic conductor (NASICON) electrolytes with zinc oxide (ZnO). This novel approach enhances ionic conductivity and battery stability, preventing dendrite formation and achieving high capacity retention.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Solid-State Batteries
Background:
- All-solid-state sodium batteries require advanced ceramic solid-state electrolytes like sodium superionic conductors (NASICON).
- A major challenge is interfacial impedance and instability caused by mismatched mechanical properties between battery components.
- This limits the performance and lifespan of sodium-based solid-state batteries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel interfacial engineering strategy for solid-state sodium batteries.
- To address interfacial impedance and instability issues in NASICON-based electrolytes.
- To enhance the ionic conductivity and mechanical stability of the solid electrolyte interface.
Main Methods:
- Cosintering NASICON ceramic electrolytes with a thin layer of zinc oxide (ZnO) coating.
- Formation of a Na+ conducting grain boundary complexion phase at the interface.
- Fabrication and testing of symmetric cells and quasi-solid-state batteries with Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode and sodium metal anode.
Main Results:
- The ZnO coating formed a grain boundary complexion, creating an ion-conducting network that enhanced ionic conductivity.
- Ultrastable symmetric cell cycling over 12,000 hours demonstrated suppressed dendrite formation and minimal resistance increase.
- Quasi-solid-state batteries exhibited high initial capacity (116.7 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C) and excellent long-term stability (93.2% retention after 1300 cycles).
Conclusions:
- The proposed interfacial engineering approach effectively enhances the performance of NASICON-based solid-state sodium batteries.
- Grain boundary engineering via ZnO coating offers a facile and strategic method to improve interfacial properties.
- This work highlights the potential of modified NASICON electrolytes for high-performance, stable solid-state sodium batteries.
