LIBs are widely used in applications ranging from small consumer electronics
to electric vehicles to grid-scale electrical storage. Reliable, efficient and costeffective energy storage is essential if renewable power sources such as wind
and solar are ever to reach their full potential.
An LIB consists of a cathode composed of a lithium oxide, an electrolyte
consisting of an organic solvent with a lithium compound dissolved in it, and
an anode that is most frequently composed of graphite. During charging,
lithium ions migrate to the anode and become embedded or intercalated in its
crystal structure. During discharge, the current flows the other way, and
lithium ions intercalate into the cathode.
A silicon anode has tremendous advantages over a graphite one. Most
importantly, it offers a tenfold improvement in charge density, which becomes
particularly important when large-scale energy storage is considered.
However, intercalation of lithium ions into a silicon anode produces stresses
that are not a factor in graphite electrodes. These stresses eventually produce
irreversible cracking in the anode, which degrades battery performance. The
following image helps to visualize the process:
www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu
Several technologies have been investigated to prevent or to mitigate cracking
in silicon anodes, but none so far has applied to large batteries. Amprius has
marketed nanotechnology-based silicon wire anodes that have been used
successfully in cell phone batteries. They are hopeful that the technology
could be scaled up to larger
batteries.https://gigaom.com/2010/09/15/amprius-building-a-better-batteryfrom-the-anode-up/
Another area of research has been the use of a self-healing polymer that will
fill cracks with a fully conductive
material.http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v5/n12/extref/nchem.1802s1.pdf The following image illustrates how the self-healing polymer would
correct the damage caused by lithium intercalation: power sources such as
wind and solar are ever to reach their full potential.
An LIB consists of a cathode composed of a lithium oxide, an electrolyte
consisting of an organic solvent with a lithium compound dissolved in it, and
an anode that is most frequently composed of graphite. During charging,
lithium ions migrate to the anode and become embedded or intercalated in its
crystal structure. During discharge, the current flows the other way, and
lithium ions intercalate into the cathode.
A silicon anode has tremendous advantages over a graphite one. Most
importantly, it offers a tenfold improvement in charge density, which becomes
particularly important when large-scale energy storage is considered.
However, intercalation of lithium ions into a silicon anode produces stresses
that are not a factor in graphite electrodes. These stresses eventually produce
irreversible cracking in the anode, which degrades battery performance. The
following image helps to visualize the process:
www-ssrl.slac.stanford.edu
Several technologies have been investigated to prevent or to mitigate cracking
in silicon anodes, but none so far has applied to large batteries. Amprius has
marketed nanotechnology-based silicon wire anodes that have been used
successfully in cell phone batteries. They are hopeful that the technology
could be scaled up to larger
batteries.https://gigaom.com/2010/09/15/amprius-building-a-better-batteryfrom-the-anode-up/
Another area of research has been the use of a self-healing polymer that will
fill cracks with a fully conductive
material.http://www.nature.com/nchem/journal/v5/n12/extref/nchem.1802s1.pdf The following image illustrates how the self-healing polymer would
correct the damage caused by lithium intercalation:
www.engineering.com