Why the Delay in Using Silicon Anode–based BatteriesSo, if silicon-anode batteries are so great, why the delay in using them? Of course, “there’s a problem,” the Rice release notes. “Silicon more than triples its volume when completely lithiated. When repeated, this swelling and shrinking causes silicon to quickly break down.” So, here’s more from Rice University on how researchers have tried to address this so far, and how Thakur and Biswal are doing things differently: Many researchers have been working on strategies to make silicon more suitable for battery use. Scientists at Rice and elsewhere have created nanostructured silicon with a high surface-to-volume ratio, which allows the silicon to accommodate a larger volume expansion. Biswal, lead author Thakur and co-author Michael Wong, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and of chemistry, tried the opposite approach; they etched pores into silicon wafers to give the material room to expand. By earlier this year, they had advanced to making sponge-like silicon films that showed even more promise. But even those films presented a problem for manufacturers, Thakur said. “They’re not easy to handle and would be difficult to scale up.” Read more at https://cleantechnica.com/2012/11/02/new-silicon-batteries-outperform-typical-li-ion-chemistries/#wLLwsWsmlugXfTcq.99