Successful mass synthesis of cage-shaped porous silicon for high-capacity lithium-ion batteries

A study conducted by Hiroyuki Kawaura et al. was published in the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

Increasing the cruising range of electric vehicles is a crucial issue, and thus, there is a growing need to enhance the capacity of lithium-ion batteries, a key energy storage device. Silicon anodes can offer a tenfold increase in capacity compared to the currently used graphite anodes, given the abundant supply of its resources and low working potential. However, the volume of the silicon changes during charging and discharging, thereby resulting in a short battery lifespan.
In this study, porous silicon was produced using a gas atomization method, as utilized in powder metallurgy. Here, atomized Al–Si alloy powder was employed as a precursor, with aluminum being subsequently leached out by acid. By optimizing the composition of the atomized Al–Si alloy powder, we succeeded in establishing a method to produce large quantities of cage-shaped porous silicon. This structure can accommodate a considerable amount of lithium. Batteries utilizing this new material have demonstrated both higher capacities and extended life compared to that conventional ones. This breakthrough holds promise for advancing high-performance lithium-ion batteries, especially for vehicles.

This research was featured as a “Key Scientific Article” on the website of Advances in Engineering, a Canadian research company.
https://advanceseng.com/advancing-energy-storage-breakthrough-porous-silicon-anodes-next-generation-lithium-ion-batteries/

Title: Scalable Synthesis of Porous Silicon by Acid Etching of Atomized Al–Si Alloy Powder for Lithium-ion Batteries
Authors: Kawaura, H., Suzuki, R., Kondo, Y., Mahara, Y.
Journal Name: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Published: July 14, 2023
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.3c05521