Recent findings and prospects in the field of pure metals as negative electrodes for Li-ion batteries

In the race for better Li-ion batteries, research on anode materials is very intensive as there is a strong desire to find alternatives to carbonaceous negative electrodes. A large part of these studies is devoted to alloying reactions, which have been known for more than thirty years but that have regained great interest by downsizing particle sizes, moving to nano-textured/nanostructured composites, or designing new electrode concepts. It is not the scope of this review to retrace twenty-five years of research, but rather to highlight recent advances that have been made in the use of Sn or Si-based electrodes together with the remaining challenges to be addressed and issues to be solved prior to such electrodes being commercially implemented in Li-ion cells.