Energy ceramic design for robust battery cathodes and solid electrolytes

Microstructural design and processing science of ceramics from materials to devices are critical to the present and future applications in various fields. They have profound effects on the mechanical and functional properties, as well as the reliability and lifetime of ceramics. The stability issue has been attracting more and more attentions, as many devices are pushed towards extreme service conditions to gain additional benefits such as energy density and efficiency. In this article, we shall discuss on four selected topics of energy ceramic design, including the oxygen evolution issue of oxide battery cathodes under extreme charge voltages, the synthesis conundrum of single-crystalline battery cathodes, the metal/ceramic interface contact problem in all-solid-state lithium-metal batteries, and the nature of hole polarons in oxygen ion and protonic ceramic electrolytes. Our understanding and solutions to these challenging problems shall be discussed. The new fundamental insights and rationally optimized processing practices presented here could help to develop advanced interdisciplinary ceramics further, enabling exciting applications in the coming decades.