Nanostructure designing and hybridizing of high-capacity silicon-based anode for lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries have long been used in electronic products and electric vehicles, but their energy density is slowly failing to keep up with demand. Because of its extraordinarily high theoretical specific capacity, silicon is regarded as the most potential next-generation anode material for practical lithium-ion batteries. However, its unavoidable volume expansion issue can cause electrode deformation and loss of electrical contact during cycling, resulting in significant performance reduction. This work reviews and evaluates the modification measures of Si, SiO, and SiO2 as anode materials in order to address the challenges that silicon-based anode materials encounter. We not only review their lithium storage mechanism, but also focus on nanostructure designing and hybridizing to improve the electrochemical performance of silicon-based anodes. The silicon-based anodes can exhibit exceptional capacity retention and excellent rate performance after structural optimization and hybridization, which will greatly facilitate their commercial application. Finally, we discuss our thoughts and recommendations for the future development of silicon-based materials.