fantastic to see Manuel and Fabian's enthusiasm , by their confidence they appear to have cracked the silicon code by Manuel's comment to "dominate the battery market" especially when graphite is controlled by China and silicon is not , silicon is one of the most abundant minerals on the earth's crust , its cheap and abundant for anode material but only if you have the technology that can turn unrefined silicon into high performance anode material for safer, faster charging and far higher WH/kg energy retention resulting in far cheaper WH per kw hour battery packs , how unfortunate that most battery manufacturers can only integrate about 5% to 10% of silicon into their Li batteries , I'm sure Manuel and Fabian will sign up plenty of business .
Improving, longer lasting and highest Lithium-Ion Batteries with Silicon Anode Technology
One of the most promising innovations in Li-ion battery technology is the use of silicon-based anodes. To date, most Li-ion battery anodes are made with graphite, a material that is largely controlled and supplied by China. While recent legislation has attempted to effect a change in the U.S.’s reliance on Chinese materials with the removal of certain rebates for EVs made with materials from China and other “foreign entities of concern,” building our own robust battery supply chain will take time and may not happen soon enough to be competitive with other countries. If the U.S. plans to detach itself from dependence on Chinese battery materials, it will need to examine its current reliance on graphite anodes seriously.
Of all the materials on the periodic table, silicon has the most promise as a full or partial replacement for graphite in the anode of lithium-ion batteries. Silicon has a theoretical charge capacity 10 times that of graphite, a property that positively impacts battery performance and efficiency. These improvements will greatly increase EV range, reduce charge times, and lengthen battery life. Another important benefit of using silicon is that it is relatively abundant and low-cost.
Unfortunately, due to a cumbersome combination of pulverization and the buildup of wasteful byproducts, most battery manufacturers can only integrate about 5% to 10% of silicon into their graphite anodes, making the solution of swapping out graphite for silicon less simple than it seems. The battery charging and discharging processes can also result in damage to silicon anode material due to expansion and contraction. This hurts the battery’s fragile solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) layer around the surface of the anode. This leads to the accumulation of wasteful byproducts, shortening the battery’s life and hampering its efficiency. If more silicon is going to be integrated into the battery, this problem will need to be addressed.
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