Conductive Polymer Frameworks in Silicon Anodes for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries

Siliconanode is endowed with a high theoretical specificcapacity.Unfortunately, its applicability in lithium-ion batteries is hinderedby several inevitable problems, which are associated with volume changes(i.e., particle pulverization, solid electrolyte interphase layerinstability, and electrode failure) and low electrical conductivityof silicon. Among the accessible strategies to enhance the anode performance,conductive polymer frameworks have been envisioned as solutions toovercome the problems. Conductive polymers can jointly bind and electronicallyconnect silicon particles to regulate extensive volume changes whileproviding pathways for charge transport in a low-cost fashion. Thisreview starts with a detailed summary of conductive polymer frameworkfeatures in silicon anodes. The main section presents an in-depthdiscussion and current advancements of the most widely used conductivepolymers in silicon anodes [i.e., polyfluorene, polyaniline, polypyrrole,polythiophene, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)] and several otherconductive polymers. In the penultimate part, we review the performanceevaluation of silicon anodes with five main conductive polymers andprovide perspectives on future challenges of batteries from the standpointof device manufacturing scale-up. In the final part, we briefly summarizethe discussed advancements of conductive polymer frameworks in siliconanode for lithium-ion batteries.

Automated summary

Silicon anode has a high theoretical specific capacity, but its suitability in lithium-ion batteries is limited by problems associated with volume changes and low electrical conductivity. Conductive polymer frameworks have emerged as a solution to enhance anode performance by facilitating charge transport and regulating volume changes. This review provides a detailed summary of the features of conductive polymer frameworks in silicon anodes and discusses the current advancements of widely used conductive polymers. The performance evaluation of silicon anodes with different conductive polymers is also presented, along with perspectives on future challenges.