Samsung reveals long

At 50 percent smaller by volume than a typical lithium-ion battery, Samsung's prototype solid-state pouch cells could enable 500-mile electric car ranges and cycle lives over 1,000 charges in a much safer package.

The drive towards solid-state is one of the key fronts in the battle to break through to the next generation of batteries that will power our vehicles, aircraft, devices and homes in the coming decades, provided the coronavirus doesn't send us back to using sharp rocks as tools.

Where current-gen lithium-ion batteries use liquid electrolytes, in which lithium ions float back and forth between the cathode and anode every time you charge or discharge the battery, solid-state batteries use a congealed solid that passes charges back and forth.

Eliminating the liquid electrolyte not only allows for much more dense and compact batteries with much higher capacity by volume, it also deals with heat much better. Solid-state batteries will thus require less heat evacuation equipment, meaning even less weight and bulk for an electric car to carry around, and a longer lifespan. They also don't explode or catch fire, which is a rare but deal-breaking issue with current technology.

One of the key problems thus far has been dendrite formation. Yes, that old chestnut. Lithium-metal anodes such as those typically used tend to start building up little deposits of metal over many cycles, which can form stalagmite-like protrusions that eventually push through to the point where they can begin to short out the battery and reduce its life. There are naturally also safety implications.

Researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the Samsung R&D Institute Japan (SRJ) say they've successfully sidestepped this problem by replacing the lithium metal anode with a 5-micrometer-thick silver-carbon composite layer. Using a solid sulfide electrolyte and a high-nickel layered oxide cathode, the team found this new design "effectively regulate[d] lithium deposition, which leads to a genuinely long electrochemical cyclability."