Fundamental Mechanisms and Promising Strategies for the Industrial Application of SiOx Anode

SiOx anode with higher specific capacity than graphite and better capacity retention than pure Si has received great attention from both academia and the industry. However, the further application of SiOx suffers from its low initial Coulombic efficiency and inadequate capacity retention. The academia has reported numerous strategies to overcome these obstacles, such as nanosizing, pore designing, nanoarchitecture, etc., while seldom did they satisfy the requirement of the industry, which asks for anode material with excellent performance in all performance metrics (e.g., specific capacity, initial Coulombic efficiency, capacity retention, tap density). Besides, the reproducibility, production cost, and safety of the strategies are less concerned, leading to the misalignment between academia and the industry. In this review, the advancements in the modification strategies, which are already or likely to be accepted by the industry, are introduced in detail and critically evaluated. Moreover, the fundamental mechanisms of SiOx and the relationship between its structure and performance are systematically discussed. In the end, outlooks and suggestions for future research are given to provide meaningful guidance.

Automated summary

SiOx anode has attracted great attention due to its higher specific capacity and better capacity retention compared to graphite and pure Si. However, its low initial Coulombic efficiency and inadequate capacity retention limit its further application. The academia has proposed various strategies to address these challenges, but they seldom meet the industry's requirement for excellent overall performance. This review introduces and critically evaluates the modification strategies that are already or likely to be accepted by the industry. Additionally, the fundamental mechanisms of SiOx and the relationship between its structure and performance are systematically discussed.