Engineering Nanostructured Silicon and its Practical Applications in Lithium‐Ion Batteries: A Critical Review

Abstract

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the synthesis of nano-silicon and its practical applications in LIBs.

Rational design of SiOx based anode materials for next generation lithium-ion batteries

“…SiO x particles are one of the most fundamental designs and have been intensively researched due to their manufacturing compatibility and commercial availability. 43 Miraculously, it has been shown that reducing the diameter of the SiO x core can attenuate the volume expansion. In the process of material exploration, various experimental routes have been developed to synthesize homogeneous SiO x nanoparticles.…”

Strategies for Controlling or Releasing the Influence Due to the Volume Expansion of Silicon inside Si−C Composite Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…The carbon layer not only allows an electrical contact between Si particles and buffers the volume expansion of Si, but it also conjointly reduces the contact between the Si surface and the electrolyte; decreasing the decomposition of the electrolyte and improving the cycle life of the electrode (Table 1). Initially, there were few options for Si−C composites; typical methods included mixing Si powder with various carbonaceous materials, to obtain coated Si−C composites by ball milling [28,81]. An Si−C composite material with a coated core-shell structure has the following advantages: (1) improves the electrical conduction of electrons and ions; (2) provides mechanical support to adapt to the volume expansion of Si; and (3) isolates the Si and the electrolyte, to form a stable SEI film, thereby improving the first Coulombic efficiency (CE) [82].…”

“…Volume changes can cause the core-shell particles to expand and crack the surface carbon layer, resulting in the collapse of the composite structure and a rapid decrease in cyclic stability. Therefore, factors that affect the performance of the composite materials should be considered in the design of such structures: (1) whether the particles are uniformly dispersed in the inner layer; (2) the thickness of the carbon shell; (3) the choice of carbon source; and (4) the structural design of the outer layer [81]. To overcome any issues, a core-shell structure with cavities has been studied under various conditions.…”

Facile synthesis of multi-phase (Si+SiO2)@C anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

“…[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] To address these issues, academia and industry generally believe that the nanosizing of Si and the use of a lower expansion rate of SiO are the most promising routes for the current industry; the methods for construction of nano-Si are mainly divided into physical and chemical methods: the physical method is mainly used to grind and crush; the chemical method is mainly cleavage and reduction. 18,[25][26][27][28][29][30][31] At present, the main method is still sand grinding Si combined with subsequent coating; the sand grinding process mainly involves wet grinding and dry coating, usually because the relatively low energy of wet grinding tends to increase the cost of time; the chemical method is usually to obtain Si with a finer size, but the safety of the process as well as the cost of the problem are to be further considered. The silicon monoxide (SiO) expansion rate relative to Si reduced a lot, and its cycling performance has been greatly improved, but the widely used method for synthesizing SiO on an industrial scale is thermal evaporation, whereby SiO 2 and Si are sublimated and condensed at high temperatures to produce SiO lumps, which are crushed and pulverized in a process to obtain the corresponding powders.…”