锂离子电池长期主导市场，但其能量密度与性能改进已接近理论上限，且在低温下易衰减、在家用设备中还存在起火风险。与此同时，需求持续攀升：预计到2026年，30%的汽车销量将是电动汽车，且美国大型电池装机在去年创下纪录，到本世纪末可能再增加近40%。

固态电池被视为最有希望的替代方案之一，其能量密度可达500Wh/kg，而传统液态电解质约为300Wh/kg，并且更不易燃烧。研究者正在通过新材料组合和层状结构缓解脆性问题；例如，1—100纳米厚的陶瓷层与聚合物层交替堆叠后，离子传导可接近现有最佳固态电解质，同时更不易开裂。

材料创新也在推动钠离子与制造工艺进步：钠在地壳中比锂丰富1,000倍，若采用金属钠负极，固态钠离子电池能量密度可从约175Wh/kg提升到接近500Wh/kg，而锌离子型添加剂还能让离子通过电解质快至100亿倍。干电极制造被认为可将能耗降低约一半、制造成本削减约五分之一，并提升整体性能；多家企业已宣布2027年前后量产或推出相关产品。

Lithium-ion batteries have dominated for decades, but gains in energy density and performance are nearing theoretical limits, while cold-weather failure and fire risks remain. Demand is rising sharply: 30% of cars sold in 2026 are expected to be electric vehicles, and U.S. large-battery installations hit a record last year and could rise by nearly 40% by the end of the decade.

Solid-state batteries are a leading alternative, with energy densities of up to 500Wh/kg versus about 300Wh/kg for liquid-electrolyte designs, and they are less likely to catch fire. Researchers are tackling brittleness with new material stacks; one approach layers 1–100nm ceramic sheets with similarly thin polymer sheets to keep ion flow near top-tier levels while sharply reducing cracking.

Materials advances are also boosting sodium-ion batteries and manufacturing: sodium is 1,000 times more abundant in Earth’s crust than lithium, and solid electrolytes could allow sodium-metal anodes to raise density from around 175Wh/kg to close to 500Wh/kg. Zwitterion additives may make ions move through electrolytes up to 10 billion times faster, while dry-electrode manufacturing could cut energy use by about half and costs by about a fifth, with several firms targeting 2027-scale production.

Source: Breakthroughs for batteries could soon make them much better

Subtitle: Solid-state cells would be faster and safer than today’s lithium-ion equivalents

Dateline: 5月 21, 2026 05:01 上午