Silicon is back in battery news again. Not long ago we reported on replacing lead in acid batteries with plated silicon wafers. Now, Japanese scientists have found a way to make lithium-silicon batteries cheaper. Their idea is incredibly simple. They are making anodes from silicon scrap because so much is available!
What We Could Gain by Making Anodes from Silicon Scrap
Silicon remains a popular option in lithium battery development. Excitingly, replacing graphite anodes with silicon could potentially increase capacity ten times. Hence the race is on to do this. Although technology still has a few laps to go. If we could only find a way to reduce the cost of silicon, then this might inspire researchers to redouble their efforts.
Electronics manufacturers currently use silicon wafers in a number of other applications. High profile examples include microchips and solar panels. The researchers at Tohoku and Osaka Universities observed that 50% of silicone leaves factories as waste. Those 90,000 tons lost could meet global demand for Li-Si batteries, because all we need to do is start making anodes from silicon scrap.
The Method the Scientists Used in Their Research
First, the scientists pulverized their silicon samples into nano-flakes thinner than 16 nanometers. A nanometer equals a billionth of a meter. So these were incredibly thin. Then they compressed them in a test half-cell after coating them with carbon. The results thus far are impressive. After 800 cycles, the capacity of their silicon electrodes is 3.3 times higher than conventional graphite.
The Bigger Picture Emerging from This Experiment
The researchers proved that making anodes from silicon scrap is feasible. They believe this will enable mass-produced lithium anodes. And that this will be ‘at a reasonable cost’. This opens up exciting possibilities for higher-density batteries for electric vehicles. So we have a great deal to look forward to, in our quest for a lower-carbon planet. We must continue because there is no alternative to recycling.
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