Battery breakthrough using 2016 Nobel Prize molecule

Silicon anodes are receiving a great deal of attention from the battery community. They can deliver around three to five times higher capacity compared with those using current graphite anodes in lithium ion batteries. A higher capacity means longer battery use per charge, which is particularly critical in extending the driving mileage of all-electric vehicles. Although silicon is abundant and cheap, Si anodes have a limited charge-discharge cycle number, which is typically less than 100 times with microparticle sizes. Their volume expands enormously during each charge-discharge cycle, leading to fractures of the electrode particles or delamination of the electrode film equally, even in decaying its capacity.