Want a better battery? Corning leads the charge
Solid-state batteries and lithium metals are revolutionizing energy storage, and Corning is at the forefront of the movement.
Corning’s battery materials have the potential to support devices, vehicles, and grid-scale energy storage of the future.
We all want the same thing: a battery that lasts longer and charges faster. The increased need for more efficient and safer battery technology has become essential in many different industries, including mobile consumer electronics, electric vehicles, grid storage, and even medical devices.
So, what exactly is the ideal battery?
“The ideal battery could be created in many different ways,” says Jamie Huang-Chu, Program Director of Energy Materials at Corning. “That’s the beauty of science. Corning researchers have been working on energy materials to improve batteries and enhance the future of more sustainable technology. It’s an exciting time to work in the battery space.”
Corning has solutions to help enable greater energy density, faster charging speeds, and improved safety in next generation batteries, including solid-state batteries.
How does a battery work?
To appreciate the buzz around solid-state batteries, it’s important to understand the basic structure of a battery. All batteries consist of layers that create an environment for complex electrochemical reactions, which release energy.
The layered structure of a lithium‑ion battery helps to enable the controlled movement of ions that releases energy.
Lithium-ion batteries – the kind found in your smartphone or EV – feature three main components:
- An anode, typically containing graphite.
- A cathode, loaded with lithium-containing compounds, such as NMC, LFP or LCO.
- A separator, a porous polymer layer soaked in liquid electrolyte, which prevents the anode and cathode from touching while allowing lithium ions to flow between them.
Energy is released from the battery to power devices by flow of lithium ions from anode through the separator and into the cathode. While lithium-ion batteries have become ubiquitous due to their affordability and performance improvements over time, they still have limitations, including safety risks. The liquid electrolytes can be flammable, making them potentially more prone to fires caused by dendrite formation – tiny needle-like structures that can pierce the separator and short-circuit the battery.
What is a solid-state battery?
While lithium-ion technology has made strides in cost and performance, it has reached a plateau in terms of safety and energy density. Solid-state technology is poised to address these gaps, offering a transformative leap forward.
A solid‑state battery design helps to replace liquid components with a solid electrolyte, supporting improvements in safety, energy density, and performance.
Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte and polymer separator with a solid electrolyte separator, often made of ceramics or special glasses. This shift offers several advantages:
1. Safer solid-state batteries
Solid-state batteries eliminate flammable liquid electrolytes, significantly reducing the risk of fires.
“Solid-state batteries help solve the problem of safety by removing the liquid electrolyte entirely,” says Cameron Tanner, Principal Scientist and Manager, Ceramics, Senior Technology Associate at Corning, who has been working with energy materials for decades.
2. Energy density in solid-state batteries
Solid separators help enable lithium metal anodes, allowing solid-state batteries to store more energy in less space. This translates to smaller, lighter batteries with extended runtimes or range.
3. Solid-state battery performance
These batteries can operate at higher temperatures and charge faster compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries.
Corning’s Ribbon Ceramics: A game-changer
Corning’s proprietary Ribbon Ceramic technology helps to enable scalable production of ultra‑thin solid‑state battery separators.
What is a solid separator made from?
Corning’s Ribbon Ceramic technology is primed for solid-state battery separators. This roll-to-roll ceramic processing method produces ultra-thin, high-quality separators at scale, helping to give Corning a competitive edge in the market.
“Ribbon Ceramics are made when a thin ceramic ‘ribbon’ is fired in a continuous process,” says Michael Badding, Principal Scientist, Ceramics, Senior Technology Associate at Corning. “Instead of firing individual pieces in a kiln, like the typical traditional batch process, the continual firing allows us to use less energy and lower the cost for customers.”
That thin ribbon is then cut and customized by a battery manufacturer to best suit their design.
“Nobody else in the world does roll-to-roll processing like we do,” Lanrik Kester, Staff Scientist, Ceramics at Corning says. “It’s our bread and butter. Regardless of the chemistry, this technology gives us a winning advantage from a technical perspective.”
Corning’s Ribbon Ceramics not only enhance battery performance but aim to make solid-state batteries cost-competitive with, or even cheaper than, lithium-ion batteries.
“We’re optimistic that we can help customers deliver a better battery at a competitive price,” says Huang-Chu. “That’s huge – not just for EVs, but for consumer electronics, medical devices, military applications, and even grid storage applications.”
Strategic collaborations to power the future
Corning’s success isn’t just driven by its materials science expertise alone. Strategic collaborations with companies like QuantumScape, which focuses on solid state batteries for applications such as EVs, and Ensurge, which specializes in micro-battery applications for areas such as consumer electronics, are helping Corning bring its technologies to market. These collaborations are critical in a fiercely competitive landscape.
“The demand for batteries is growing exponentially,” Huang-Chu says. “We’re excited to bring our solutions to the forefront.”
Solid‑state batteries help to address growing demands for safer, more efficient energy storage across a variety of applications.
The transition to solid-state technology comes at a pivotal moment. With electrification on the rise, the need for safer and more efficient energy storage has never been greater. Solid-state batteries hold the promise of powering everything from devices to renewable energy grids, all while addressing global supply chain challenges.
Huang-Chu underscores the opportunity.
“Expanding energy materials helps diversify the market and enhance energy security around the world,” she says.
The road ahead
While the path to widespread adoption of solid-state batteries is still unfolding, the potential is undeniable. Corning’s combination of technical innovation, strategic collaborations, and market timing positions it as a leader in this transformative space.
“Our vision is to redefine what batteries can do – not just for EVs or electronics, but for the future of energy,” says Huang-Chu.
The future of energy storage has arrived, and Corning is ready to help lead the charge.