Solid Electrolyte Failure by Dendrite-Induced Local Phase Transition

Solid Electrolyte Failure by Dendrite-Induced Local Phase Transition | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Solid Electrolyte Failure by Dendrite-Induced Local Phase Transition Wei Liu, Ruixin Hao, Tianyi Gao, Jiecheng Diao, Wenbo Zhai, Xinshui Zhang, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8014532/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The growth of lithium dendrites and propagation of cracks within solid electrolytes present significant challenges to the safety of solid-state lithium-metal batteries, whose underlying failure mechanism remains unclear. Herein, we report a previously overlooked failure mechanism in garnet electrolyte, driven by stress-induced localized phase transition that accelerates Li dendrite short-circuiting. Employing Bragg coherent diffraction imaging, we reveal heterogeneous strain fields and dislocation proliferation within solid-electrolyte grains generated by Li dendrites. Transmission electron microscopy results directly confirm a cubic-to-tetragonal phase transition in the dendrite-penetrated regions. Molecular dynamics simulations further demonstrate that this transition is driven by GPa-level stresses generated by dendrite penetration, accompanied by lattice distortion, point defects and dislocations, which collectively reduce the critical stress for crack propagation. This work provides atomic-scale evidence that stress-induced phase transition is a critical factor in solid-electrolyte failure, identifying new principles for designing dendrite-resistant solid electrolytes for next-generation batteries. Physical sciences/Energy science and technology/Energy storage/Batteries Physical sciences/Materials science/Materials for energy and catalysis/Electrochemistry solid-state electrolyte lithium dendrite stress phase transition failure Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.docx Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8014532","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":558217479,"identity":"7f48bb6a-2bcb-4a6e-9473-aefb44f732e7","order_by":0,"name":"Wei 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