Overview
- Published Mar. 12 in Science, the team directly harvested dendrites from working cells and performed the first quantitative mechanical measurements on individual structures.
- The dendrites fractured at tensile strengths above roughly 150 MPa—orders of magnitude higher than bulk lithium—due to a single‑crystal Li core encased by a thin solid‑electrolyte interphase.
- Operando imaging confirmed the brittle behavior during operation in both liquid and solid electrolyte systems.
- Their rigid, needle‑like form explains how they pierce separators to cause internal shorts and how snapped fragments accumulate as dead lithium that erodes capacity.
- Researchers highlight design paths such as tailoring SEI and solid‑electrolyte microstructures, modifying anode materials, or using lithium alloys to mitigate growth and brittle fracture.