Abstract: Solid-state batteries have attracted extensive attention because of their high energy density and enhanced safety. However, internal short circuits induced by lithium dendrites remain a critical bottleneck that limits their practical application. Conventional understanding suggests that solid electrolytes with high elastic modulus can suppress lithium dendrite growth through mechanical constraint. Nevertheless, a large body of experimental evidence has shown that, even in high-modulus ceramic electrolytes, lithium dendrites still nucleate, propagate, and penetrate through mechanisms distinct from those in liquid electrolyte systems. This review establishes a unified analytical framework for the lithium dendrite problem in solid-state batteries by focusing on the evolution mechanisms of lithium dendrites, modeling studies dominated by interfacial factors, and modeling studies dominated by the intrinsic properties of solid electrolytes. First, the fundamental mechanisms of electrochemical-mechanical instability during lithium dendrite evolution are reviewed. On this basis, recent advances in multiphysics modeling of dendrite propagation pathways, growth modes, and penetration critical conditions are systematically summarized from the perspectives of interfacial factors and intrinsic electrolyte properties. Lithium dendrite evolution in solid-state batteries is essentially a synergistic failure process driven by the coupling of electrochemical, mechanical, and interfacial chemical fields, in which interfacial states and intrinsic electrolyte properties jointly determine the preferential propagation paths of dendrites and their critical penetration conditions. Current modeling studies are evolving from qualitative reproduction of dendrite morphology and local failure phenomena toward quantitative prediction of interfacial instability, crack propagation, and short-circuit critical conditions. Future efforts should focus on developing multiscale modeling frameworks that integrate realistic microstructures, dynamic interfacial evolution, and cross-scale parameter transfer, so as to improve the predictive capability for dendrite-induced failure in solid-state batteries and provide theoretical guidance for interfacial optimization and material design.

Key words: solid-state battery, lithium dendrite, multiphysics modeling, electrochemical-mechanical coupling, interface failure, review