High‑Strength 3D‑Ordered Ceramic‑Gel Composite Electrolytes Enable Highly Stable Sodium Metal Batteries at − 20 to 60 °C

Sep 29, 2026

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Ceramic-gel composite electrolytes (CGEs) are pursued as solid-state electrolytes for sodium metal batteries due to favorable ionic conductivity and interfacial compatibility. Conventional CGEs remain limited by inadequate mechanical strength, causing uncontrollable sodium dendrite growth and hindering practical use. This work develops a high-strength CGE enabling efficient stress transfer with 20.1 MPa compressive strength, preserves high ionic conductivity, suppresses dendrites, and adds thermal-barrier flame retardancy via a 3D-Na3Zr2Si2PO12 framework. Na/CGE/NVP-K0.05 cells retain 75.9% capacity after 10,000 cycles at 5C (25 °C) and reach 78.5 mAh g−1 at 30C (60 °C), maintaining nearly full capacity at −20 °C.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Highlights

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Sodium metal battery background

Limitations of liquid electrolytes

Solid-state and gel polymer electrolyte approaches

Motivation for ceramic-gel composite electrolytes

e-ISSN 2150-5551 CN 31-2103/TB ARTICLE [https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-02032-4](https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-02032-4) Cite as Nano-Micro Lett.(2026) 18:195 Received: 12 September 2025 Accepted: 29 November 2025 Published online: 4 January 2026 © The Author(s) 2026 High‑Strength 3D‑Ordered Ceramic‑Gel Composite Electrolytes Enable Highly Stable Sodium Metal Batteries at − 20 to 60 °C Liying Shen 1,2,4, Chuyan Hu 1, Zhenhui Huang 1, Jiarui Yang 1, Yanwei Jia 1, Yufeng Zhao3 *, Rüdiger Berger2, Qiang Liu 1,4 *, Yu Zhou 1,4 HIGHLIGHTS • A high-strength ceramic-gel electrolyte enables efficient stress transfer, achieving a compressive strength of 20.1 MPa (20 times that of conventional gel electrolytes) while maintaining excellent ionic conductivity and effectively suppressing sodium dendrite growth. • The Na3Zr2Si2PO12 framework acts as a thermal barrier, imparting the ceramic-gel composite electrolytes with superior flame retardancy and maintaining structural integrity after 30 s of burning. • The structural–functional integration ensures efficient Na⁺ conduction (3 .37 × 10−3 S cm−1) and stable performance from − 20 to 60 °C. ABSTRACT Ceramic-gel composite electrolytes (CGEs) attract significant attention as solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) for sodium metal batteries owing to their favorable ionic conductivity and interfacial compatibility. However, conventional CGEs generally feature insufficient mechanical strength and consequent uncontrollable dendrite growth, remaining long-standing fundamental challenges that severely limit practical applications. Herein, this study presents a high-strength CGE that enables efficient stress transfer, achieving a compressive strength of 20.1 MPa (20 times higher than conventional gel electrolytes), while maintaining excellent ionic conductivity and effectively suppressing sodium dendrites. The 3D-Na3Zr2Si2PO12 framework further serves as a thermal barrier, imparting the CGE with superior flame retardancy. Additionally, Na/CGE/NVP-K0.05 cells exhibit 75.9% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles at 5C (25 °C) and deliver 78.5 mAh g−1 at 30C (60 °C) . Remarkably, the CGE exhibits excellent low-temperature adaptability, retaining nearly 100% capacity at –20 °C. These results highlight a viable strategy for designing safe and high-performance solid-state sodium metal batteries toward practical deployment. KEYWORDS Ceramic-gel electrolyte; Sodium metal batteries; 3D-Na3Zr2Si2PO12 framework; Compressive strength; Flame retardancy * Yufeng Zhao, [yufengzhao@shu.edu.cn](yufengzhao@shu.edu.cn); Qiang Liu, [qiangliu@hit.edu.cn](qiangliu@hit.edu.cn) 1 State Key Laboratory of Precision Welding & Joining of Materials and Structures, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People’s Republic of China 2 Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, 55122 Mainz, Germany 3 College of Sciences and Institute for Sustainable Energy, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, People’s Republic of China 4 Institute for Advanced Ceramics, Key Laboratory of Advanced Structural-Functional Integration Materials & Green Manufacturing Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, People’s Republic of China 1 Introduction Sodium metal batteries, which utilize sodium metal anodes with a low redox potential (–2.71 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode) and a high theoretical capacity (1165 mAh g–1), have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation rechargeable batteries and potential alternatives to lithiumion batteries [1–5] . Liquid sodium metal batteries have been widely investigated due to their high ionic conductivity (> 10–3 S cm–1) and favorable electrode/electrolyte interfaces [6–12] . However, the use of conventional organic liquid electrolytes presents significant safety hazards stemming from their flammability, volatility, and potential for leakage. Moreover,

FAQs

What main problem limits conventional ceramic-gel composite electrolytes for sodium metal batteries?

They generally have insufficient mechanical strength, leading to uncontrolled sodium dendrite growth, which severely restricts practical application.

How does the 3D-Na3Zr2Si2PO12 framework contribute to the electrolyte performance?

It serves as a thermal barrier that improves flame retardancy and helps maintain structural integrity after burning.

What electrochemical and cycling results are reported for Na/CGE/NVP-K0.05 cells?

The cells show 75.9% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles at 5C (25 °C), deliver 78.5 mAh g−1 at 30C (60 °C), and retain nearly 100% capacity at −20 °C.

Sep 29, 2026

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