Issue

Vol. 19 (2027)

Hotspot to Homogeneous: Amorphous Interfacial Current Redistribution Enables Stable Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02347-w
Cuiyun Yang
Division of Integrative Systems and Design, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Xupeng Lu
Division of Integrative Systems and Design, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Yexin Pan
Division of Integrative Systems and Design, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Qimeng Zhang
School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, People’s Republic of China
Ruohan Yu
The Sanya Science and Education Innovation Park of Wuhan University of Technology, Sanya 572000, People’s Republic of China
Rongliang Yang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Huan Liu
Division of Integrative Systems and Design, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Molong Duan
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Mitch Guijun Li
Division of Integrative Systems and Design, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 999077 Hong Kong SAR, People’s Republic of China
Ziyi Zhu
National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Lithium‑ion Batteries and Materials Preparation Technology, Key Laboratory of Advanced Battery Materials of Yunnan Province, School of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093, People’s Republic of China
Chenghao Yang
School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Chenghao Yang

esyangc@scut.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 19 (2027), Article Number: 40

Abstract

Interfacial instability in oxide ceramic electrolyte (OCE)-based solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) is conventionally attributed to chemical incompatibility or mechanical failure, yet the underlying atomic-scale mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we reveal that grain boundaries (GBs) in polycrystalline OCEs function as bipolar interfacial hotspots, accelerating three degradation pathways: lowering barriers for Li dendrite nucleation and enabling electron-leakage-driven reduction at anode side, while generating localized overpotentials for cathode phase transformation. To deactivate these GB-driven hotspots, we develop a laser-induced amorphization strategy that constructs a GB-free amorphous interlayer capable of homogenizing Li+ flux and blocking electron migration. Applied to a representative sodium superionic conductor-type electrolyte, Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3, this approach delivers substantially increased critical current density in Li symmetric cells (1.4 to 2.4 mA cm−2) with stable cycling over 2000 h, and achieves an exceptional capacity retention of 101.9 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles in LiCoO2 full cells operated at 4.5 V. The generality of this strategy is further validated on garnet-type and perovskite-type OCEs. This work introduces amorphous interfacial current redistribution as a universal paradigm for engineering stable interfaces, providing a critical atomic-scale interface engineering route to unlock high-voltage, dendrite-free SSLMBs.


Highlights:
1 Surface grain boundaries in oxide electrolytes are identified as bipolar interfacial hotspots that actively drive lithium dendrite growth and cathode degradation through electron leakage and current focusing.
2 A laser-induced amorphous interlayer eliminates these hotspots via interfacial current redistribution, homogenizing ion flux and blocking electron migration for stable high-voltage operation.
3 The strategy is universally validated across sodium superionic conductor-type Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3, garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12, and perovskite-type Li3xLa2/3-xTiO3, providing a general strategy for engineering stable ceramic electrolytes.

Keywords

Solid-state batteries Electrolytes Oxide ceramics Grain boundary hotspots Laser
Yang, Cuiyun, Xupeng Lu, Yexin Pan, Qimeng Zhang, Ruohan Yu, Rongliang Yang, Huan Liu, Molong Duan, Mitch Guijun Li, Ziyi Zhu, and Chenghao Yang. 2026. “Hotspot to Homogeneous: Amorphous Interfacial Current Redistribution Enables Stable Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries”. Nano-Micro Letters 19 (August):40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02347-w.
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