Publication date: 15th December 2025
The growing demand for extended-range electric vehicles has renewed interest in replacing conventional metal-ion batteries with higher energy-density metal-anode batteries, such as lithium, sodium, and zinc. However, metal cells often suffer from capacity fading and potential safety issues due to uneven metal electrodeposition. Understanding metal plating mechanisms is crucial for developing the next generation of rechargeable batteries with high energy density, prolonged cycle life, and improved safety.
“Soft shorts” are small, localized electrical connections between electrodes that allow simultaneous electron transfer and interfacial reactions. Although soft shorts were identified as a potential safety concern in lithium-ion batteries as early as the 1990s, their detection and prevention have been relatively understudied. Using coupled electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and operando NMR, we demonstrated that transient soft shorts could form under realistic battery cycling conditions.
Interestingly, the typical rectangular-shaped voltage trace, often considered ideal, was shown in our study to result from soft shorts under these conditions. We further demonstrated recoverable soft-shorted cells in symmetric cell polarization experiments, defining a new type of critical current density: the current density at which soft shorts are no longer reversible. Importantly, soft shorts were found to be predictive of subsequent hard shorts, highlighting the potential of EIS as a relatively low-cost, non-destructive method for early detection of catastrophic short circuits and battery failure. [1]
These results underscore that a fundamental understanding of soft short circuits, coupled with reliable detection methods, is critical for realizing safer metal-based batteries, including metal-air, metal-sulphur, and anode-free configurations.
Zinc metal anodes have gained increasing attention due to the sustainability of aqueous electrolytes. However, deeper insights into zinc plating, hydrogen evolution, and corrosion mechanisms are essential. In our SECM studies of zinc plating, we compared the effects of various electrolyte compositions on SEI heterogeneity, zinc morphology, and soft short formation. [2]
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