With more capacity and faster charging, solid-state batteries could be the next big thing in energy. And good news: researchers may have pinned down one major reason these batteries still fail before they can reach widespread commercial use. A team at the Max Planck Institute for Sustainable Materials in Düsseldorf, Germany, published its findings in Nature on Wednesday, saying it has identified a key mechanism behind cracking in the ceramic solid electrolytes that distinguish solid-state batteries from the liquid-electrolyte designs used in most modern electronics. As mentioned above, solid-state batteries swap a liquid electrolyte for a solid one, which offers several potential advantages. Energy density can be higher, cells can be made smaller and lighter, and some designs may allow faster charging and longer operating life than conventional lithium-ion batteries. They are also generally considered safer because solid electrolytes are less flammable than liquid ones and cannot leak.…