Patent — available for licensing
Anode-Electrolyte Interlayering in Solid-State Batteries via Dry-Processing
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
NASA’s SABERS (Solid-state Architecture Batteries for Enhanced Rechargeability and Safety) project aims to advance battery efficiency, power, and safety. Solid-state batteries promise higher energy density and safety compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries due to their use of solid, stable electrolytes. However, when lithium metal serves as the anode, repeated plating and stripping during charge/discharge cycles can cause surface roughness, inactive lithium debris, and dendritic growth from uneven ionic activity, all of which degrade performance and risk short circuits. Current mitigation strategies add interlayers between the anode and electrolyte, enabling ion transport while preventing direct contact. These interlayers, often graphite or silver-carbon composites, are fabricated using costly, solvent-based processes that require long preparation and drying times. Dry processing reduces cost and complexity, but no dry-processable interlayer techniques exist, leaving a gap for scalable, solvent-free manufacturing . Innovators at NASA’s Langley Research Center developed a fully dry method for creating an anode interlayer without the use of solvents. Using a perforated nanomaterial and lithophilic compounds, this technique is faster, less costly, and improves solid-state battery life and stability.