Battery (electricity)

Quantum mechanics

Engineering

Lithium (medication)

Biology

Lithium-ion battery

Materials science

Endocrinology

Operating system

Power (physics)

Scalability

Biochemistry

Computer science

Nest (protein structural motif)

Silicon

Chemical engineering

Porosity

Physical chemistry

Physics

Nanotechnology

Organic chemistry

Porous silicon

Composite material

Medicine

Chemistry

Electrode

Anode

Optoelectronics

Nature Communications

Although silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, scalable synthesis of silicon anodes with good cyclability and low electrode swelling remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report a scalable top-down technique to produce ant-nest-like porous silicon from magnesium-silicon alloy. The ant-nest-like porous silicon comprising three-dimensional interconnected silicon nanoligaments and bicontinuous nanopores can prevent pulverization and accommodate volume expansion during cycling resulting in negligible particle-level outward expansion. The carbon-coated porous silicon anode delivers a high capacity of 1,271 mAh g −1 at 2,100 mA g −1 with 90% capacity retention after 1,000 cycles and has a low electrode swelling of 17.8% at a high areal capacity of 5.1 mAh cm −2 . The full cell with the prelithiated silicon anode and Li(Ni 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 )O 2 cathode boasts a high energy density of 502 Wh Kg −1 and 84% capacity retention after 400 cycles. This work provides insights into the rational design of alloy anodes for high-energy batteries.

Scalable synthesis of ant-nest-like bulk porous silicon for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes