Novel Nanostructure Designs for High-Performance Silicon Based Anodes

Silicon anodes have attracted great interest since it has 10 times higher specific capacity than current commercialized graphite anodes. However, the continuous formation and fracture of mechanically unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) due to the large volume change of silicon during insertion and extraction of lithium lead to the poor cycling stability and limit the application of silicon anodes in lithium-ion battery. In this article, recent advances and mechanism studies in using nanotechnology for high performance silicon anodes are thoroughly reviewed, covering three types of nanostructured designs to solve the above-mentioned issues: (1) hollow Si; (2) core-shell structures and (3) core-void-shell structures. This review will hopefully stimulate more extensive and insightful studies on using nanotechnology for developing high-performance silicon anodes.