Lithium metal has been the holy grail of anode materials for Li batteries, since the first usage in the 1960s, boasting the highest theoretical capacity at 3860 mAh g -1 , the lowest possible electrochemical potential, -3.04 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode, and a low mass density. Despite its desirable parameters, safety issues stemming from dendritic growth of lithium, short circuiting and subsequent ignition of the liquid electrolyte, have led to its replacement by the graphite anode in commercial lithium ion batteries. Through the usage of non-flammable solid electrolytes which are compatible with lithium metal, such as the oxide garnet Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO), safety concerns can be remedied and a resurgence of the lithium metal anode is possible. The problem of dendritic growth remains though, still present in solid electrolytes, which are prone to being cracked by lithium dendrites, even when the material is mechanically stronger than lithium metal. This can happen at current densities as low as 0.1 mA/cm² at room temperature. The precise mechanism of dendrite formation in solid electrolytes is far from fully explored but one explanation is that inhomogeneous current distribution, sometimes named current focusing, leads to preferential lithium plating, accelerating the build-up of mechanical stress in the ceramic until it is released in fracture of the material. Recently it was found that directed stresses in the material allow for guiding the growing crack in a certain direction. With increasing in plane compressive stress, the path of the growing crack aligns more and more with the stress direction, depending on the initial crack angle, as the path of least resistance from the mechanical perspective diverges from the electrochemical one. It was shown that if the stress is high enough, at least in the 200 MPa range for LLZO, cracks can be diverted to a 90 ° angle from the surface regardless of the initial crack direction. This can stop the dendrite from reaching the opposite electrode and shorting the cell. In the work described, the stress was applied through mechanical bending of the solid electrolyte via a cantilever. Since bending a whole battery pack is rather impractical, the introduction of residual stress is necessary.