Carbon-free high-loading silicon anodes enabled by sulfide solid electrolytes

The development of silicon anodes for lithium-ion batteries has been largely impeded by poor interfacial stability against liquid electrolytes. Here, we enabled the stable operation of a 99.9 weight % microsilicon anode by using the interface passivating properties of sulfide solid electrolytes. Bulk and surface characterization, and quantification of interfacial components, showed that such an approach eliminates continuous interfacial growth and irreversible lithium losses. Microsilicon full cells were assembled and found to achieve high areal current density, wide operating temperature range, and high areal loadings for the different cells. The promising performance can be attributed to both the desirable interfacial property between microsilicon and sulfide electrolytes and the distinctive chemomechanical behavior of the lithium-silicon alloy.

Automated summary

The research successfully achieved stable operation of silicon anodes by using the interface passivating properties of sulfide solid electrolytes. Analysis showed that this approach eliminates continuous interfacial growth and irreversible lithium losses. The promising performance of microsilicon full cells can be attributed to the ideal interface properties between microsilicon and sulfide electrolytes and the unique chemomechanical behavior of the lithium-silicon alloy.