The Chinese Academy of Sciences has developed a new solid-state electrolyte for lithium batteries with a cost as low as US$11.60 per kilogram.

According to foreign media reports, a research team led by Professor Ma Cheng from the University of Science and Technology of China, a university directly affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), developed a new solid-state electrolyte: lithium zirconium oxychloride (LZCO). It can improve the performance of all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLB) and reduce costs. Relevant research has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

Image source: Journal "Nature Communications"

ASSLB is a game-changer for electric vehicles. It not only overcomes the serious safety issues of current commercial lithium-ion batteries, but also has greater room for energy density improvement. Determining a suitable solid-state electrolyte is crucial for constructing ASSLB. However, high-performance solid-state electrolytes are currently too expensive to be commercialized.