Nanoporous silicon electrodes may have the potential to increase lithium-ion battery storage capacity

A team of scientists from Rice University and Lockheed Martin, which jointly established the Nanotechnology Research Center in 2008, has found a way to radically increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries using a simple silicon manufacturing process. The method leverages Rice researchers' work on nanoporous silicon and applies it to the electrodes of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The batteries have a storage capacity more than 10 times that of lithium-ion batteries with traditional carbon-based electrode materials.

研究人员称纳米多孔硅的制备比硅纳米线更简单。微孔尺寸约1微米宽，10至50微米长，在硅晶片两端形成正电荷和负电荷，然后再浸入氢氟酸溶剂中，氟离子攻击一端的硅形成孔洞。该制备过程简单，且生产适应能力强。目前这种电池寿命为200-250次，比纳米线电池更长。因此纳米多孔硅材料有潜力显著提高锂离子电池的存储容量，未来可广泛应用于商业、军事和航空航天领域。