RE:Silicon anodes is mentioned. Skyjuice wrote: https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/02/18/new-method-to-produce-silicon-anodes-for-lithium-ion-batteries/
and extracted from the link mentionned.......
The anode relies on graphite as an additive to boost the conductivity and connect the tiny silicon nanoparticles. At the first cycle, the anode reached a capacity of 1050 mAh/g-1, close to silicon’s theoretical limit. This quickly decreased to 57% of the initial value after 30 cycles, and 52% after 100 cycles. The researchers noted that this represents a major improvement in comparison with results from pristine, milled or heat-treated silicon. At the first cycle, the anodes' specific energy was measured at 787 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), falling to 341.25 Wh/kG after 200 cycles.
While other approaches have shown stronger results in capacity retention, the researchers here note that these often rely on complex or expensive processes not well suited to large-scale production. “Si nanoparticles were grown on nanographite flakes by aerogel fabrication route from Si powder and nanographite using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by a simple, cost-efficient, and scalable method, which does not require expensive equipments for the synthesis,” stated the researchers. “In this study, we show that electrodes prepared based on this structure show high specific capacity and cycling stability, thus being a potentially cost-effective method for Si-based anodes.”