Industrial scalable method for manufacturing of silicon-graphene anodes for lithium-ion batteries

To meet the global climate challenge with increasing demand for green energy, the global market for lithium-ion batteries is growing rapidly.

A critical parameter of these batteries is the storage capacity, where one way to increase the capacity is by adding silicon to the graphite anode.

Research has led to many high-capacity silicon solutions, however, they do not have the potential to go beyond laboratory scale demonstration to meet the high-volume demands from the industry.

We have developed a novel method, which is scalable, using a simple thermal treatment of low-cost silicon powder and graphene, resulting in a composite where silicon nanoparticles are grown on the graphene surfaces. We have demonstrated a 10% higher capacity using this composite.

The objective of this project is to establish a full understanding of the method including the limits of process parameters for optimal performance. This will enable future development of full-scale industrial implementation.