By reinforcing the anode's structure with graphene girders, researchers at the U.K.'s University of Warwick have found an effective approach to replacing graphite in the anodes using silicon, thereby boosting the capacity of lithium-ion batteries and extending their life by more than double.The Warwick Manufacturing Group researchers have made a big step towards replacing graphite with silicone in the anodes of lithium-ion batteries.
By adding graphene girders, the scientists managed to overcome performance issues inherent in silicon, the second-most abundant element in the earth's crust with ten times the gravimetric energy density of graphite, consequently stepping up the battery's capacity and also prolonging its life by more than double.
In typical lithium-ion batteries, silicon is plagued with capacity fade. Due to its volume expansion upon lithiation, silicon particles can electrochemically agglomerate in ways that impede further charge-discharge efficiency over time. As silicon is not intrinsically elastic enough to cope with the strain of lithiation when it is repeatedly charged, this can lead to cracking, pulverization and rapid physical degradation ...Den vollständigen Artikel lesen ...