High capacity silicon anodes enabled by MXene viscous aqueous ink

Bulked up batteries

28 August 2019

Lithium-ion batteries that can go longer between recharges could be realized by using a solution-processable mixture of silicon and a two-dimensional nanomaterial called MXene.

There is a great push to increase the energy-storage capacities of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from electronic devices to electric cars.

One way would be to use thicker, silicon-based electrodes, which have higher capacities than current electrodes for absorbing lithium ions. However, the dramatic volume changes these thick electrodes undergo as they absorb and release lithium ions typically lead to rapid cracking and failure.

Now, a University College Cork co-led team has shown that mixing the silicon with nanosheets of MXenes — two-dimensional nanomaterials akin to graphene, made from titanium carbide or titanium carbonitride — overcomes this limitation. The MXenes contribute good mechanical reinforcement and high conductivity to give robust, high-capacity, silicon-based electrodes with great promise for advanced battery applications.

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References

1. Nature Communications 10, 849 (2019). doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-08383-y