Solid-state batteries are no longer “years away.” They’re on the road.

Donut Lab’s announcement at CES 2026 marked a true inflection point for the battery industry. With all-solid-state batteries delivering 400 Wh/kg, ultra-fast charging within 5 minutes, extreme safety, 100,000-cycle durability, no performance degradation at low and high temperatures, use of geopolitically insensitive, abundant materials, and real OEM deployment, the conversation has shifted from if to how fast the rest of the ecosystem can follow.

As solid-state technologies transition from lab prototypes to scalable production, the challenge for battery developers becomes clear: understanding, process control, and validation of materials at every stage of growth.

This is where Malvern Panalytical and Micromeritics battery solutions play a critical role in accelerating the development of next-generation batteries:

Solid electrolytes & electrode materials

• Particle size, morphology, porosity, density, crystalline structure, and surface area control are essential for ionic conductivity, densification, and interfacial stability, performance, and cycling durability.
• Laser diffraction, XRD, BET surface area, and porosity analysis provide rapid, reproducible insight from R&D to pilot scale.

Powder processing & manufacturability

• Powder rheology plays an important role in optimizing packing density and compaction behavior.
• Particle and bulk characterization enable predictable processing and scalable manufacturing routes.

Performance, safety & lifetime

• Understanding microstructure, pore architecture, and interfacial contact is fundamental to cycle life, fast charging, and thermal robustness.
• Advanced materials characterization, like in-operando XRD, helps de-risk scale-up before costly production decisions are made.

From innovation to OEM readiness

Donut Lab’s success underscores a broader industry reality: breakthrough battery concepts only succeed when backed by rigorous, data-driven materials characterization. The faster one can connect material properties to real-world performance, the faster solid-state batteries will reach mass production.

The solid-state era has arrived. The winners will be those who can measure, understand, and control materials properties from R&D to production level scale-up.

Learn more about our battery solutions >>