Throughout the development of battery technologies in recent years, the solid-state electrolyte (SSE) has demonstrated outstanding advantages in tackling the safety shortcomings of traditional batteries while meeting high demands on electrochemical performances. The traditional manufacturing strategies can achieve the fabrication of batteries with simple forms (coin, cylindrical, and pouch), but encounter limitations in preparing complex-shaped or micro/nanoscaled batteries especially for inorganic solid electrolytes (ISEs). The advancement in novel manufacturing techniques like 3D printing has enabled the assembly of different solid electrolytes (polymeric, inorganic, and composites) in a more complex geometric configuration. However, there is a huge gap between the capabilities of the current 3D printing techniques and the requirements for battery production. In this review, we compare the traditional manufacturing to several novel 3D printing techniques, highlighting the potential of 3D printing in the SSE manufacturing. The latest SSE manufacturing progress in the group of direct-writing (DW) based or lithography-based printing technologies are summarized separately from the perspectives of feedstock selection, build envelope, printing resolution, and application (nano-scaled, flexible, and large-scale battery grids). Throughout the discussion, some challenges associated with manufacturing SSEs via 3D printing such as air/moisture sensitivity of samples, printing resolution, scale-up capability, and longterm sintering for ISEs have been put forward. This review aims to bridge the gap between 3D printing techniques and battery requirements by analyzing the existing limitation in SSE manufacturing and point out future needs.

Viscosity and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are both crucial properties in the design of new glasses for various applications. In this work, we extend the application of dilatometry to measure two important parameters governing the viscosity of glass‐forming systems, viz., glass transition temperature and fragility index. We also describe a method to determine the dilatometric fictive temperature (Tf,DIL) and present data for five unique glass compositions covering a range of fragilities spanning 38‐96, which are subjected to cooling and reheating rates in the range 1‐30 K/min. The results show that the glass transition temperature obtained from the dilatometric method at 10 K/min (Tg,DIL) is consistent with both viscosity‐based (Tg,vis) and DSC‐based measurements (Tg,DSC). It is shown that the fragility of a liquid (mvis) can be determined by calibrating the dilatometric fragility (mDIL) with the same empirical model as in the calorimetric approach. Put together, we have developed a reliable method to measure the fragility and predict the viscosity curves of glass‐forming liquids over a wide range (eg, 101‐1016 Pa·s) without direct viscosity measurements, while simultaneously obtaining the CTE of the glass. However, this method is not suitable for glasses with a strong tendency toward phase separation or crystallization.

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Lithium aluminosilicate glass-ceramics are well known for good transparency, high fracture toughness, low thermal expansion, and good ion exchange ability. In this study, new transparent Li 2 O-Al 2 O 3 -SiO 2 (LAS) glass-ceramics with petalite and β-spodumene solid solution as the major crystalline phases were invented for favorable mechanical properties and potential for application in the hollowware, tableware, container, and plate glass industries. Crystal phases are mainly influenced by the ratio of Al 2 O 3 to SiO 2 concentrations. The concentration of SiO 2 required to form specific crystalline phases in the glass-ceramics is higher than that inferred from the ternary phase diagram. Al 2 O 3 content is required to be sufficiently high for the formation of crystals, instead of balancing excess amounts of Li 2 O in the glass. The average transmittances of 2.0 ± 0.1 mm thickness samples in visible light regions (400-700 nm) can reach more than 80% with crystal sizes of 20-40 nm. Transmittance is significantly decreased for heat treatments around 710 • C, due to the high growth rate of β-spodumene solid solution crystals. Vickers hardness, indentation toughness, and crack probabilities of transparent LAS glass-ceramics are significantly improved compared with standard soda lime silicate glass, due to the crack bridging and deflection of crystal grains.

Thermal tempering is an industrial process widely used to make soda lime silica (SLS) glass panels stronger and tougher. During the tempering process, the upper and bottom sides of the glass may experience different cooling rates, and thus, their properties could be different. This study characterized changes in surface composition and subsurface glass network structures as well as indentation and wear resistance properties of the air‐ and tin‐sides of 6‐mm‐thick SLS window panels faced toward the upper and sliding roller sides during thermal tempering. The results showed that although the chemical and structural differences detected with X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and specular reflection infrared spectroscopy are subtle, there are large differences in nanoindentation behaviors and mechanochemical wear properties of the SLS glass surface. The findings of this study provide further insights into the performance difference between the air‐ and tin‐sides of the SLS glass panel treated with thermal tempering.