Functional Additives Enable Fast Charging of Solid-State Batteries

Functional polymer additives enable fast charging and high energy densities in polymer-based solid-state batteries – an important step toward practical high-performance SSBs.

19 January 2026 – Solid-state batteries are considered a highly promising technology for future electric vehicles and stationary energy storage systems due to their enhanced safety and high energy density. However, their widespread application has so far been limited by high interfacial resistances and performance losses at practical electrode mass loadings. In a recent publication, researchers at Helmholtz Institute Münster (HI MS) of Forschungszentrum Jülich present a new, industry-relevant processing approach to address these challenges.

A New Approach for High Mass Loading and Fast-Charging Capability

By deliberately integrating functional, brush-type polymer additives directly into the cathode slurry, the team successfully fabricated NMC811 cathodes with high mass loadings of approximately 6.5 mg cm⁻² while simultaneously enabling stable fast charging in fully polymer-based solid-state lithium metal batteries. “The additives refine the electrode microstructure, strengthen interparticle contact, and improve the interface between the cathode and the polymer electrolyte,” explains Melanie Mitchell, PhD student at Helmholtz Institute Münster.

Improved Interfaces and Electrochemical Performance

Electrochemical analyses using galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and long-term cycling experiments reveal a significant reduction in interfacial and interphasial resistances, more homogeneous lithium-ion transport, and improved cycling stability under application-relevant charging conditions.

“With our approach, we address one of the central challenges of polymer-based solid-state batteries: inefficient ion transport at high electrode mass loadings. The functional additives can be incorporated without complex process modifications, opening up a realistic pathway toward high-performance, fast-charging solid-state batteries,” explains Pascal J. Glomb, also PhD student at Helmholtz Institute Münster.

Relevance for Industry and Future Applications

The presented strategy is particularly attractive for industrial implementation, as it can be easily integrated into existing manufacturing processes without requiring fundamental changes to cell architecture. The work therefore represents an important step toward the practical deployment of polymer-based solid-state batteries for electric vehicles and other electrochemical energy storage applications.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The study was conducted through close collaboration between experts in polymer chemistry, cathode engineering, and electrochemical characterization. Building on these results, further joint research projects focusing on scale-up and the development of advanced electrolyte and electrode concepts are planned.

Published in Batteries & Supercaps

The researchers have published the detailed results of their study as an open-access article in the journal Batteries & Supercaps.

Researchers involved:

• Pascal J. Glomb – Helmholtz Institute Münster of Forschungszentrum Jülich

• Melanie M. Mitchell – Helmholtz Institute Münster

• Lennart Wichmann – Helmholtz Institute Münster

• Nadine Tänzer – Helmholtz Institute Münster

• PD Dr Gunther Brunklaus – Helmholtz Institute Münster

• Prof. Dr Martin Winter – Helmholtz Institute Münster, MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster