Tailoring inorganic-polymer composites for the mass production of solid-state batteries

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) have recently been revived to increase the energy density and eliminate safety concerns associated with conventional Li-ion batteries with flammable liquid electrolytes. To achieve large-scale, low-cost production of SSBs as soon as possible, it would be advantageous to modify the mature manufacturing platform, involving slurry casting and roll-to-roll technologies, used for conventional Li-ion batteries for application to SSBs. However, the manufacturing of SSBs depends on the development of suitable solid electrolytes. Inorganic-polymer composite electrolytes combine the advantages of inorganic and polymer solid electrolytes, making them particularly suitable for the mass production of SSBs. In this Review, we discuss the properties of solid electrolytes comprising inorganic-polymer composites and outline the design of composite electrolytes for realizing high-performance devices. We also assess the challenges of integrating the composite electrolytes into batteries, which will enable the mass production of SSBs. Inorganic-polymer composites have emerged as viable solid electrolytes for the mass production of solid-state batteries. In this Review, we examine the properties and design of inorganic-polymer composite electrolytes, discuss the processing technologies for multilayer and multiphase composite structures, and outline the challenges of integrating composite electrolytes into solid-state batteries.