Nanostructured Silicon Anodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Despite the high theoretical capacity of Si anodes, the electrochemical performance of Si anodes is hampered by severe volume changes during lithiation and delithiation, leading to poor cyclability and eventual electrode failure. Nanostructured silicon and its nanocomposite electrodes could overcome this problem holding back the deployment of Si anodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by providing facile strain relaxation, short lithium diffusion distances, enhanced mass transport, and effective electrical contact. Here, the recent progress in nanostructured Si-based anode materials such as nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanowires, porous Si, and their respective composite materials and fabrication processes in the application of LIBs have been reviewed. The ability of nanostructured Si materials in addressing the above mentioned challenges have been highlighted. Future research directions in the field of nanostructured Si anode materials for LIBs are summarized.