Scalable Manufacturing of Hierarchical Silicon/Carbon Nanocomposite Anodes for Next Generation Batteries

硅在现代世界经济中发挥着关键作用，特别是通过其在半导体行业中的突出作用。硅也有可能彻底改变储能行业，因为它是下一代锂离子电池最有前途的阳极材料之一。然而，精心设计的硅阳极通常需要精细的合成方法，需要使用有毒化学品，使得难以将这些方法用于硅阳极的广泛应用。该奖项将通过研究一种新颖，简单和可扩展的纳米制造方法来解决这一缺陷，以低成本生产具有精心设计的分层结构的硅阳极，并且不涉及有毒化学品。这项研究工作导致了一种纳米制造方法，该方法在工业水平上可扩展，可以制造具有精心设计的内部结构和前所未有的性能的硅/碳纳米复合材料，用于下一代锂离子电池。新阳极材料的可用性为电动汽车的广泛市场渗透铺平了道路，将手机充电前的工作时间延长到几天，拓宽了电池的应用领域，包括军事用途，并使技术更加绿色和节能。该项目为本科生提供了通过一个学期的跨专业项目参与研究的机会。计划在少数民族学生比例偏低的高中科学课上举办关于“化学在锂离子电池中的作用”的讲座，并进行实际演示。这些活动旨在激发高中学生追求科学，工程和技术的职业生涯。该项目是第一个研究简单和可扩展的纳米制造方法，可以制造具有精心设计的分层结构的硅阳极，结合纳米硅构建块，导电涂层和工程空隙空间以及石墨烯原位形成的特征。这种精心设计的分层结构提供了具有大比容量、高比功率和长循环寿命以及高面积容量的Si阳极。这种纳米制造方法从市售的微米级Si和石墨颗粒开始，将其进行高能球磨，在此期间原位产生石墨烯。整个纳米制造过程和粉末处理都是在周围环境中进行的，除了高能球磨和碳涂层过程，这使得这种纳米制造方法很容易在工业水平上扩展。该项目导致了一种纳米制造方法，以低成本和不使用有毒化学品的方式制造具有前所未有的性能和性能的分级硅/碳纳米复合材料阳极。

Silicon has played a critical role in the modern world economy, particularly through its prominent role in the semiconductor industry. Silicon also has the potential to revolutionize the energy storage industry because it is one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, well-designed silicon anodes often require elaborated synthesis methods requiring the use of toxic chemicals, making it difficult to embrace these methods for widespread applications of silicon anodes. This award will address this deficiency by investigating a novel, simple and scalable nanomanufacturing method to produce silicon anodes with well-designed hierarchical structures at low cost and with no involvement of toxic chemicals. The research work leads to a nanomanufacturing method that is scalable at industry level and that can fabricate silicon/carbon nanocomposites with well-designed internal structures and unprecedented performance for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. The availability of new anode materials paves the way to enable broad market penetration of electric vehicles, extend cell phone working hours to multiple days before recharging, broaden the application areas of batteries including military usage, and make the technology greener and more energy efficient. The project offers undergraduate students opportunities to participate in research through a semester long Inter-professional Project. Presentations on "Roles of Chemistry in Lithium-ion Batteries" with hands-on demonstrations are planned in the science classes of high schools with high percentage of under-represented minority students. These activities are designed to inspire high school stucents to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology.This project is the first to investigate a simple and scalable nanomanufacturing method that can fabricate Si anodes with a well-designed hierarchical structure that combines features of nanoscale Si building-blocks, conductive coatings and engineered void space plus in-situ formation of graphene. This well-engineered hierarchical structure offers Si anodes with large specific-capacity, high specific power and long cycle life as well as high areal capacity. This nanomanufacturing method starts with commercially available micron-sized Si and graphite particles, which are subjected to high-energy ball milling during which graphene is produced in situ. The entire nanomanufacturing process and powder handling is carried out in ambient environment except during the high-energy ball milling and carbon coating processes, making this nanomanufacturing method easily scalable at industrial levels. The project leads to a nanomanufacturing method to fabricate hierarchical silicon/carbon nanocomposite anodes with unprecedented properties and performance at low cost and without the use of toxic chemicals.