Aug. 7, 2015

Researchers from University of Tehran produced and studied the performance of amorphous silicon nanosturcutre in lithium ion batteries.
Based on the results, the use of this nanostructure increases the capacity of battery and its function time.
Lithium ion batteries are used as one of the most important rechargeable energy sources. These batteries have applications in various fields of energy storage such as mobile phones, laptops and other portable electronic devices. Graphite-based anodes are currently used in the production of these batteries.
Silicon has a capacity 10 times more than graphite anodes. However, it is not used in industrial batteries due to its inability to tolerate volume changes due to the charge and discharge of the battery. Studies suggested that silicon nanostructures can help solving the problem.
Nanometric structures are more resistant to changes in the volume, and the battery can be charged or discharged without any reduction in its performance. Therefore, silicon nanowires were firstly produced in this research. Then, lithium ion batteries were produced by using the nanostructures, and numerous charges and discharges happened.
As it was expected, the use of silicon nanowires increased the battery capacity, which means the battery has more performance in every charge. Amorphous silicon is more resistant to be charged and discharged without having any cracks due to its nanometric dimensions and internal amorphous structure.