Mesoscale origin of the enhanced cycling-stability of the Si-conductive polymer anode for Li-ion batteries

Innovative Solutions for High-Performance Silicon Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries: Overcoming Challenges and Real-World Applications

Silicon (Si) has emerged as a potent anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but faces challenges like low electrical conductivity and significant volume changes during lithiation/delithiation, leading to material pulverization and capacity degradation. Recent research on nanostructured Si aims to mitigate volume expansion and enhance electrochemical performance, yet still grapples with issues like pulverization, unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) growth, and interparticle resistance. This review delves into innovative strategies for optimizing Si anodes' electrochemical performance via structural engineering, focusing on the synthesis of Si/C composites, engineering multidimensional nanostructures, and applying non-carbonaceous coatings. Forming a stable SEI is vital to prevent electrolyte decomposition and enhance Li+ transport, thereby stabilizing the Si anode interface and boosting cycling Coulombic efficiency. We also examine groundbreaking advancements such as self-healing polymers and advanced prelithiation methods to improve initial Coulombic efficiency and combat capacity loss. Our review uniquely provides a detailed examination of these strategies in real-world applications, moving beyond theoretical discussions. It offers a critical analysis of these approaches in terms of performance enhancement, scalability, and commercial feasibility. In conclusion, this review presents a comprehensive view and a forward-looking perspective on designing robust, high-performance Si-based anodes the next generation of LIBs.

Silicon-nanoparticle-based composites for advanced lithium-ion battery anodes

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) play an important role in modern society. The low capacity of graphite cannot meet the demands of LIBs calling for high power and energy densities. Silicon (Si) is one of the most promising materials instead of graphite, because of its high theoretical capacity, low discharge voltage, low cost, etc. However, Si shows low conductivity of both ions and electrons and exhibits a severe volume change during cycles. Fabricating nano-sized Si and Si-based composites is an effective method to enhance the electrochemical performance of LIB anodes. Using a small size of Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) is likely to avoid the cracking of this material. One critical issue is to disclose different types and electrochemical effects of various coupled materials in the Si-based composites for anode fabrication and optimization. Hence, this paper reviews diverse SiNP-based composites for advanced LIBs from the perspective of composition and electrochemical effects. Almost all kinds of materials that have been coupled with SiNPs for LIB applications are summarized, along with their electrochemical influences on the composites. The integrated materials, including carbon materials, metals, metal oxides, polymers, Si-based materials, transition metal nitrides, carbides, dichalcogenides, alloys, and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are comprehensively presented.

Review of Recent Development of In Situ/Operando Characterization Techniques for Lithium Battery Research

The increasing demands of energy storage require the significant improvement of current Li-ion battery electrode materials and the development of advanced electrode materials. Thus, it is necessary to gain an in-depth understanding of the reaction processes, degradation mechanism, and thermal decomposition mechanisms under realistic operation conditions. This understanding can be obtained by in situ/operando characterization techniques, which provide information on the structure evolution, redox mechanism, solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, side reactions, and Li-ion transport properties under operating conditions. Here, the recent developments in the in situ/operando techniques employed for the investigation of the structural stability, dynamic properties, chemical environment changes, and morphological evolution are described and summarized. The experimental approaches reviewed here include X-ray, electron, neutron, optical, and scanning probes. The experimental methods and operating principles, especially the in situ cell designs, are described in detail. Representative studies of the in situ/operando techniques are summarized, and finally the major current challenges and future opportunities are discussed. Several important battery challenges are likely to benefit from these in situ/operando techniques, including the inhomogeneous reactions of high-energy-density cathodes, the development of safe and reversible Li metal plating, and the development of stable SEI.

A 3D pore-nest structured silicon–carbon composite as an anode material for high performance lithium-ion batteries

A novel silicon–carbon composite with a 3D pore-nest structure denoted as Si@SiO_x/CNTs@C was prepared and studied, and the capacity of a Si@SiO_x/CNTs@C composite anode can be maintained at above 1740 mA h g⁻¹ at a current density of 0.42 A g⁻¹ after 700 cycles.

Towards cost-effective silicon anodes using conductive polyaniline-encapsulated silicon micropowders

To overcome the remaining issues of nanostructured Si anode, we investigated the feasibility towards practically viable Si anode by combining low-cost material precursors with facile and scalable processes.

Ammonia cation-assisted bubble template for synthesizing hollow TiO2 nanospheres and their application in lithium ion storage

Hollow TiO₂ nanospheres were synthesized by an ammonia cation-assisted oxygen bubble template strategy.

Conducting polymers and their inorganic composites for advanced Li-ion batteries: a review

Conducting polymers are promising materials for organic–inorganic composites in lithium-ion batteries due to electrical conductivity and high coulombic efficiency, and are able to be cycled hundreds or thousands of times with only small degradation.

Synthesis of porous microspheres composed of graphitized carbon@amorphous silicon/carbon layers as high performance anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Amorphous silicon/carbon (Si/C) layers coated on graphitized carbon black (GCB) particles in porous microspheres (PMs) exhibited an improved electrochemical performance.