The all-solid-state battery (ASSB) is considered a promising candidate for increasing the safety of accumulators for electric vehicles. A major challenge in the development of suitable material concepts is the reactivity of the sulfides used. These are highly hygroscopic and trigger chemical decomposition of the structure upon contact with atmospheric moisture. This has previously made it impossible to characterize the electrodes microscopically using 3D X-ray tomography.

Our team has now succeeded in developing a protection concept for the sensitive materials of the solid-state battery. This made it possible to scan the electrode structure with submicrometer resolution over many hours. 3D X-ray microscopy is a method for non-destructive, high-resolution imaging of samples. The scan provides insight into the spatial distribution of the active materials (NMC and LSPCl) and allows a precise prediction of electrochemical activity. The video shows a small section of the 4K volume, with the individual phases segmented by color. The image was captured on a Bruker Skyscan 2214 3D X-ray microscope with a resolution of 0.28 micrometers per voxel.