Silicon has a much higher theoretical capacity than graphite,...

Silicon has a much higher theoretical capacity than graphite, but it suffers from significant volume expansion and contraction during charge and discharge cycles, which can lead to rapid capacity degradation. Although there is a lot of research and development ongoing to mitigate this it is still early, they are trying to improve it via Electrolyte fluorination, laser drying anodes, using biopolymers, charge time etc. Again, it comes down to how quickly they can develop all this research, it looks like it will take a lot longer and there is a window of opportunity for natural graphite to play a vital role for the next 10-20 years.

Improving Calendar Life: This study on electrolyte fluorination is a recent one, published in July 2023 (https://dx.doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ace65d). The researchers have demonstrated the potential of electrolyte fluorination in improving the calendar life of silicon-graphite lithium-ion cells. However, more research is needed to validate these findings and to determine how they can be applied in commercial battery production.

Laser Drying of Anodes: The research on laser drying of silicon-graphite anodes, published in March 2023 (https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/14/4/87), showed promising results in significantly reducing the drying time. However, this is a very new area of research, and further studies are needed to optimize the process and to assess its feasibility for large-scale production.

Use of Biopolymers: The use of chitosan biopolymers as a binder in silicon-graphite anodes is a novel approach, with the study published in December 2022 (https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ente.202201239) . It showed promising results, but further research is needed to optimise the use of chitosan and to assess its performance in long-term battery operation.

Minimising Charging Time: The study (https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/8/12/285) on minimising charging time in silicon-graphite lithium-ion batteries, published in December 2022, has developed a new method that shows potential in reducing charging time without negatively impacting the battery's cycling life. However, this method needs to be tested and validated in real-world applications.

There was a study done on this in 2023.
"Silicon/Graphite/Amorphous Carbon as Anode Materials for Lithium Secondary Batteries"
https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/28/2/464
-It mentions that the practical applicability of silicon is hampered by its worse rate properties and poor cycle performance due to large volumetric expansion.

This research study from 2022 (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsaem.2c02047)
titled "Lithium-Ion Battery Degradation: Measuring Rapid Loss of Active Silicon in Silicon–Graphite Composite Electrodes"
- found that the loss of active silicon is worse than graphite under all operating conditions, especially at low state-of-charge and high temperature. The results indicate that the additional capacity conferred by silicon comes at the expense of reduced lifetime.

This research article ( "Strategies for Minimizing Charging Time in Commercial Nickel-Rich/Silicon-Graphite Lithium-Ion Batteries")
from December 2022 said this
- High charge rates should be avoided, mainly below 15% state of charge, and the charge should be finished at 95% of actual cell capacity. This allows that, regardless of application and cell degradation level, cells can be recharged in 2 h without a negative impact on cycling life.
https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/8/12/285