Theoretical Limits of Energy Density in Silicon-Carbon Composite Anode Based Lithium Ion Batteries

Turning Residual Lithium Compounds into a Fluorinated Interface for a Water-Stable, Industrializable Prelithiated Micron-SiOx Anode

The implementation of carbon-coated microsized SiOx (MSiOx@C) materials in high energy density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is challenged by their low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE), large volume expansion, and limited cycle life. Even though prelithiation is an effective strategy to enhance ICE, it will make the prelithiated MSiOx@C (Li-MSiOx@C) extremely sensitive to moisture. For industrial applications, it is important to develop chemically and electrochemically stable Li-MSiOx@C with high ICE and good cycling performance. Herein, a convenient interfacial design was employed to construct in situ a functional lithium fluoride (LiF) layer on the surface of the Li-MSiOx@C material (Li-MSiOx@C@LiF). LiF could serve as a physical protective layer to prevent the side reactions of Li-MSiOx@C@LiF in water and participate in the formation of a robust LiF-rich solid-electrolyte interphase for the Li-MSiOx@C@LiF anode during cycling. Finally, Li-MSiOx@C@LiF shows excellent water compatibility, high ICE (90.62%), high reversible capacity (1356.5 mA h g-1) in a half-cell, and excellent cycling stability (80.3% capacity retention after 1000 cycles) in a 14.2 A h pouch cell with an energy density of 305 W h kg-1. The proposed interfacial design would be promising to stabilize Li-MSiOx@C anodes and thus promote their practical application in high energy density LIBs.

Densification of Alloying Anodes for High Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries: Critical Perspective on Inter- Versus Intra-Particle Porosity

High Li-storage-capacity particles such as alloying-based anodes (Si, Sn, Ge, etc.) are core components for next-generation Li-ion batteries (LIBs) but are crippled by their intrinsic volume expansion issues. While pore pre-plantation represents a mainstream solution, seldom do this strategy fully satisfy the requirements in practical LIBs. One prominent issue is that porous particles reduce electrode density and negate volumetric performance (Wh L-1) despite aggressive electrode densification strategies. Moreover, the additional liquid electrolyte dosage resulting from porosity increase is rarely noticed, which has a significant negative impact on cell gravimetric energy density (Wh kg-1). Here, the concept of judicious porosity control is introduced to recalibrate existing particle design principles in order to concurrently boost gravimetric and volumetric performance, while also maintaining the battery's cycle life. The critical is emphasized but often neglected role that intraparticle pores play in dictating battery performance, and also highlight the superiority of closed pores over the open pores that are more commonly referred to in the literature. While the analysis and case studies focus on silicon-carbon composites, the overall conclusions apply to the broad class of alloying anode chemistries.

Review of the Scalable Core-Shell Synthesis Methods: The Improvements of Li-Ion Battery Electrochemistry and Cycling Stability

The demand for lithium-ion batteries has significantly increased due to the increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). However, these batteries have a limited lifespan, which needs to be improved for the long-term use needs of EVs expected to be in service for 20 years or more. In addition, the capacity of lithium-ion batteries is often insufficient for long-range travel, posing challenges for EV drivers. One approach that has gained attention is using core-shell structured cathode and anode materials. That approach can provide several benefits, such as extending the battery lifespan and improving capacity performance. This paper reviews various challenges and solutions by the core-shell strategy adopted for both cathodes and anodes. The highlight is scalable synthesis techniques, including solid phase reactions like the mechanofusion process, ball-milling, and spray-drying process, which are essential for pilot plant production. Due to continuous operation with a high production rate, compatibility with inexpensive precursors, energy and cost savings, and an environmentally friendly approach that can be carried out at atmospheric pressure and ambient temperatures. Future developments in this field may focus on optimizing core-shell materials and synthesis techniques for improved Li-ion battery performance and stability.

Feasible Energy Density Pushes of Li-Metal vs. Li-Ion Cells

Li-metal batteries are attracting a lot of attention nowadays. However, they are merely an attempt to enhance energy densities by employing a negative Li-metal electrode. Usually, when a Li-metal cell is charged, a certain amount of sacrificial lithium must be added, because irreversible losses per cycle add up much more unfavourably compared to conventional Li-ion cells. When liquid electrolytes instead of solid ones are used, additional electrolyte must also be added because both the lithium of the positive electrode and the liquid electrolyte are consumed during each cycle. Solid electrolytes may present a clever solution to the issue of saving sacrificial lithium and electrolyte, but their additional intrinsic weight and volume must be considered. This poses the important question of if and how much energy density can be gained in realistic scenarios if a switch from Li-ion to rechargeable Li-metal cells is anticipated. This paper calculates various scenarios assuming typical losses per cycle and reveals future e-mobility as a potential application of Li-metal cells. The paper discusses the trade-off if, considering only the push for energy density, liquid electrolytes can become a feasible option in large Li-metal batteries vs. the solid-state approach. This also includes the important aspect of cost.

Constructing Densely Compacted Graphite/Si/SiO2 Ternary Composite Anodes for High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries

Graphite has dominated the market of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries in applications such as consumer electronic devices and electric vehicles. As commercial graphite anodes are approaching their theoretical capacity, significant efforts have been dedicated towards higher capacity by blending capacity-enhancing additives (e.g., Si) with graphite particles. In spite of the improved gravimetric capacity, the areal capacity of such composite anodes might decrease due to excess void spaces and an incompatible material size distribution. Herein, a rational design of compact graphite/Si/SiO₂ ternary composites has been proposed to address the abovementioned issues. Si/SiO₂ clusters with an optimal particle size are homogeneously dispersed in the interstitial spaces between graphite particles to promote the packing density, leading to a higher areal capacity than that of pure graphite with equivalent mass loading or electrode thickness. By taking the full intrinsic advantages of graphite, Si, and SiO₂, the composite electrodes exhibit 553.6 mAh g^-1 after 700 cycles with a capacity retention of 95.2%. Furthermore, the graphite/Si/SiO₂ electrodes demonstrate a high coulombic efficiency with an average of 99.68% from 2nd to 200th cycles and areal capacities above 1.75 mAh cm^-2 during 200 cycles with an areal mass loading as high as 4.04 mg cm^-2. A packing model has been proposed and verified by experimental investigation as a design principle of densely compacted anodes. The effective strategy of introducing Si/SiO₂ clusters into the void spaces between graphite particles provides an alternative solution for implementation of graphite-Si composite anodes in next-generation Li-ion cells.

Simple Designed Micro-Nano Si-Graphite Hybrids for Lithium Storage

Up to now, the silicon-graphite anode materials with commercial prospect for lithium batteries (LIBs) still face three dilemmas of the huge volume effect, the poor interface compatibility, and the high resistance. To address the above challenges, micro-nano structured composites of graphite coating by ZnO-incorporated and carbon-coated silicon (marked as Gr@ZnO-Si-C) are reasonably synthesized via an efficient and convenient method of liquid phase self-assembly synthesis combined with annealing treatment. The designed composites of Gr@ZnO-Si-C deliver excellent lithium battery performance with good rate performance and stable long-cycling life of 1000 cycles with reversible capacities of 1150 and 780 mAh g^-1 tested at 600 and 1200 mA g^-1 , respectively. The obtained results reveal that the incorporated ZnO effectively improve the interface compatibility between electrolyte and active materials, and boost the formation of compact and stable surface solid electrolyte interphase layer for electrodes. Furthermore, the pyrolytic carbon layer formed from polyacrylamide can directly improve electrical conductivity, decrease polarization, and thus promote their electrochemical performance. Finally, based on the scalable preparation of Gr@ZnO-Si-C composites, the pouch full cells of Gr@ZnO-Si-C||NCM523 are assembled and used to evaluate the commercial prospects of Si-graphite composites, offering highly useful information for researchers working in the battery industry.

Challenges and prospects of nanosized silicon anodes in lithium-ion batteries

Batteries are commonly considered one of the key technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions caused by the transport, power, and industry sectors. We need to remember that not only the production of energy needs to be realized sustainably, but also the technologies for energy storage need to follow the green guidelines to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases effectively. To reach the sustainability goals, we have to make batteries with the performances beyond their present capabilities concerning their lifetime, reliability, and safety. To be commercially viable, the technologies, materials, and chemicals utilized in batteries must support scalability that enables cost-effective large-scale production. As lithium-ion battery (LIB) is still the prevailing technology of the rechargeable batteries for the next ten years, the most practical approach to obtain batteries with better performance is to develop the chemistry and materials utilized in LIBs-especially in terms of safety and commercialization. To this end, silicon is the most promising candidate to obtain ultra-high performance on the anode side of the cell as silicon gives the highest theoretical capacity of the anode exceeding ten times the one of graphite. By balancing the other components in the cell, it is realistic to increase the overall capacity of the battery by 100%-200%. However, the exploitation of silicon in LIBs is anything else than a simple task due to the severe material-related challenges caused by lithiation/delithiation during battery cycling. The present review makes a comprehensive overview of the latest studies focusing on the utilization of nanosized silicon as the anode material in LIBs.

Self-Catalyzed Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube-Silicon Core-Shell Array for Highly Stable, High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries

Here, we report on the simple, catalyst-free preparation and application of carbon nanotube-silicon core-shell composite anodes on stainless steel. The stainless steel mesh structure acts as a self-catalyzing agent for the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) growth of vertically aligned, dense, multiwalled carbon nanotube arrays. The carbon nanotube array then serves as a bed for silicon deposition by the decomposition of silane through chemical vapor deposition (CVD). This approach leads to the formation of highly conductive and stable composite anodes. Silicon deposition on the substrate is controlled in terms of the optimal silicon shell thickness, thus enhancing the performance of the cell. These extremely stable, binder-free composite electrodes were characterized as potential anodes in Li-ion batteries, exhibiting long cycle life (>700 cycles), high gravimetric capacity (>4000 mAh/gSi), low irreversible capacity (<10%), and high Coulombic efficiency (>99.5%). These composite anodes meet the requirements of Li-ion batteries for future portable electronics and electric vehicle applications.

Native Void Space for Maximum Volumetric Capacity in Silicon-Based Anodes

Volumetric energy density is considered a primary factor in developing high-energy batteries. Despite its significance, less efforts have been devoted to its improvement. Silicon-based materials have emerged as next-generation anodes for lithium-ion batteries due to their high specific capacity. However, their volumetric capacities are limited by the volume expansion rate of silicon, which restricts mass loading in the electrodes. To address this challenge, we introduce porous silicon templated from earth-abundant minerals with native internal voids, capable of alleviating volumetric expansion during repeated cycles. In situ transmission electron microscopy analysis allows the precise determination of the expansion rate of silicon, thus presenting an analytical model for finding the optimal content in silicon/graphite composites. The inner pores in silicon reduce problems associated with its expansion and allow higher silicon loading of 42% beyond the conventional limitations of 13-14%. Consequently, the anode designed in this work can deliver a volumetric capacity of 978 mAh cc^-1. Thus, suppressing volume expansion with natural abundant template-assisted materials opens new avenues for cost-effective fabrication of high volumetric capacity batteries.

Integration of Graphite and Silicon Anodes for the Commercialization of High-Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries

Silicon is considered a most promising anode material for overcoming the theoretical capacity limit of carbonaceous anodes. The use of nanomethods has led to significant progress being made with Si anodes to address the severe volume change during (de)lithiation. However, less progress has been made in the practical application of Si anodes in commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The drastic increase in the energy demands of diverse industries has led to the co-utilization of Si and graphite resurfacing as a commercially viable method for realizing high energy. Herein, we highlight the necessity for the co-utilization of graphite and Si for commercialization and discuss the development of graphite/Si anodes. Representative Si anodes used in graphite-blended electrodes are covered and a variety of strategies for building graphite/Si composites are organized according to their synthetic methods. The criteria for the co-utilization of graphite and Si are systematically presented. Finally, we provide suggestions for the commercialization of graphite/Si combinations.

S-containing and Si-containing compounds as highly effective electrolyte additives for SiOx -based anodes/NCM 811 cathodes in lithium ion cells

Recently, high-energy density cells containing nickel-rich cathodes and silicon-based anodes have become a practical solution for increasing the driving range of electric vehicles. However, their long-term durability and storage performance is comparatively poor because of the unstable cathode-electrolyte-interphase (CEI) of the high-reactivity cathode and the continuous solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) growth. In this work, we study several electrolyte systems consisting of various additives, such as S-containing (1,3,2-dioxathiolane 2,2-dioxide (DTD), DTD + prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone (PES), methylene methanedisulfonate (MMDS)) and Si-containing (tris(trimethylsilyl) phosphate (TTSP) and tris(trimethylsilyl) borate (TMSB)) compounds, in comparison to the baseline electrolyte (BL = 1.0 M LiPF₆ + 3:5:2 w-w:w EC: EMC: DEC + 0.5 wt% lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB) + 2 wt% lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) + 2 wt% fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) + 1 wt% 1,3-propane sultone (PS)). Generally, electrolytes with Si-containing additives, particularly BL + 0.5% TTSP, show a lower impedance increase in the full cell, better beginning-of-life (BOL) performance, less reversible capacity loss through long-term cycles and better storage at elevated temperatures than do electrolytes with S-containing additives. On the contrary, electrolytes with S-containing additives exhibit the advantage of low SEI impedance but yield a worse performance in the full cell than do those with Si-containing additives. The difference between two types of additives is attributed to the distinct function of the electrodes, which is characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which was performed on full cells and half cells with fresh and harvested electrodes.

Everlasting Living and Breathing Gyroid 3D Network in Si@SiOx/C Nanoarchitecture for Lithium Ion Battery

Silicon-based materials are the most promising candidates to surpass the capacity limitation of conventional graphite anode for lithium ion batteries. Unfortunately, Si-based materials suffer from poor cycling performance and dimensional instability induced by the large volume changes during cycling. To resolve such problems, nanostructured silicon-based materials with delicately controlled microstructure and interfaces have been intensively investigated. Nevertheless, they still face problems related to their high synthetic cost and their limited electrochemical properties and thermal stability. To overcome these drawbacks, we demonstrate the strategic design and synthesis of a gyroid three-dimensional network in a Si@SiO_x/C nanoarchitecture (3D-Si@SiO_x/C) with synergetic interaction between the computational prediction and the synthetic optimization. This 3D-Si@SiO_x/C exhibits not only excellent electrochemical performance due to its structural stability and superior ion/electron transport but also enhanced thermal stability due to the presence of carbon, which was formed by a cost-effective one-pot synthetic route. We believe that our rationally designed 3D-Si@SiO_x/C will lead to the development of anode materials for the next-generation lithium ion batteries.

In Situ Synthesis of Multilayer Carbon Matrix Decorated with Copper Particles: Enhancing the Performance of Si as Anode for Li-Ion Batteries

A 3D structured composite was designed to improve the conductivity and to ease the volume problems of Si anode during cycling for lithium-ions batteries. An in situ method via a controllable gelation process was explored to fabricate the 3D composite of a multilayer carbon matrix toughened by cross-linked carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and decorated with conductive Cu agents. Structurally, a bifunctional carbon shell was formed on the surface of Si to improve the conductivity but alleviate side reactions. Cu particles as conducting agents decorated in the carbon matrix are also used to further improve the conductivity. The volume issue of Si particles can be effectively released via toughening the carbon matrix through the multilayered structure and cross-linked CNTs. Moreover, the carbon matrix might prevent silicon particles from agglomeration. Consequently, the Si@C@Cu composite is expected to exhibit benign electrochemical performances with a commendable capacity of 1500 mAh g^-1 (900 cycles, 1 A g^-1) and a high rate performance (1035 mAh g^-1, 4 A g^-1). The D_Li⁺ ranging from 10^-11 to 10^-9 cm^-2 s^-1 of the Si@C@Cu anode is obtained via the GITT test, which is higher than most reported data.

Simulation-driven Selection of Electrode Materials Based on Mechanical Performance for Lithium-Ion Battery

Experimental and numerical studies have shown that mechanical loading associated with lithiation/delithiation may limit the useful life of battery electrode materials. The paper presents an approach to parameterize and compare electrode material performance based on mechanical stability. A mathematical model was developed to determine particle deformation and stress fields based upon an elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive response. Mechanical deformation was computed by combining the stress equilibrium equations with the electrochemical diffusion of lithium ions into the electrode particle. The result provided a time developing stress field which shifts from purely elastic to partially plastic deformation as the lithium-ion diffuses into the particle. The model was used to derive five merit indices that parameterize mechanical stability of electrode materials. The merit indices were used to analyze the mechanical stability for the six candidate electrode materials—three for anode materials and three for the cathode material. Finally, the paper suggests ways to improve the mechanical performance of electrode materials and identifies mechanical properties that need to be considered for selection and optimal design of electrode materials.

Amide-Functionalized Porous Carbonaceous Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Porous carbonaceous anode materials have received considerable attention as an alternative anode material, however, there is a critical bottleneck as it suffers from a large irreversible specific capacity loss over several initial cycles owing to undesired surface reactions. In order to suppress undesired surface reactions of porous carbonaceous anode material, here, we suggest a simple and convenient two-step surface modification approach that allows the embedding of an amide functional group on the surface of a porous carbonaceous anode, which effectively improves the surface stability. In this approach, the porous carbonaceous anode material is firstly activated by means of strong acid treatment comprising a combination of H₂ SO₄ and HNO₃ , and it is subjected to further modification by means of an amide coupling reaction. Our additional systematic analyses confirm that the acid functional group effectively transforms into the amide functional group. The resulting amide-functionalized porous carbon exhibits an improved electrochemical performance: the initial discharge specific capacity is greatly reduced to less than 2,620 mA h g^-1 and charge specific capacity is well still remained, indicating stabling cycling performance of the cell.

Design-Considerations regarding Silicon/Graphite and Tin/Graphite Composite Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

An analytical model is proposed to investigate properties of composite electrodes that utilize more than one active material. We demonstrate how the equations can be applied to aid in the design of electrodes by comparing silicon-graphite and tin-graphite composite negative electrodes as examples with practical relevance. Based on simple assumptions, the results show how volume expansion tolerance and initial porosity are important factors for the achievable gravimetric and volumetric capacities as well as volumetric energy density. A Si-alloy/graphite composite electrode is used as an experimental system to corroborate the formulated analysis. Kinetic limitations are also addressed based on a novel heuristic approach.

Surface Modification of Silicon Nanoparticles by an "Ink" Layer for Advanced Lithium Ion Batteries

Owing to its high specific capacity, silicon is considered as a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). However, the synthesis strategies for previous silicon-based anode materials with a delicate hierarchical structure are complicated or hazardous. Here, Prussian blue analogues (PBAs), widely used in ink, are deposited on the silicon nanoparticle surface (PBAs@Si-450) to modify silicon nanoparticles with transition metal atoms and a N-doped carbon layer. A facile and green synthesis procedure of PBAs@Si-450 nanocomposites was carried out in a coprecipitation process, combined with a thermal treatment process at 450 °C. As-prepared PBAs@Si-450 delivers a reversible charge capacity of 725.02 mAh g^-1 at 0.42 A g^-1 after 200 cycles. Moreover, this PBAs@Si-450 composite exhibits an exceptional rate performance of ∼1203 and 263 mAh g^-1 at current densities of 0.42 and 14 A g^-1, respectively, and fully recovered to 1136 mAh g^-1 with the current density returning to 0.42 A g^-1. Such a novel architecture of PBAs@Si-450 via a facile fabrication process represents a promising candidate with a high-performance silicon-based anode for LIBs.

Capacity fade in high energy silicon-graphite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries

A silicon-graphite blended anode is paired with a high capacity LiFePO4 reference/counter electrode to track irreversibility and lithium inventory. The LiFePO4 electrode provides a reliable, flat potential for dQ dV-1 analysis of LixSi and LixC electrochemical reactions. We relate this electrochemistry to the morphological and physical changes taking place.