Archives for June 2010
Nanoscale Heterostructures for Low-Cost, High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Batteries

Approaches toward Silicon-Based High-Capacity Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries
The Kumta Lab is developing low-cost methods for producing nanoscale silicon composites as lithium-ion anodes. These heterostructures comprise nanocrystalline or amorphous Si and may contain a variety of carbon precursors. The Si provides high capacity while the graphitic and disordered carbon acts as an electrically-conductive matrix as well as a mechanically compliant phase. The Kumta Lab’s multi-pronged approach towards anode fabrication includes chemical vapor deposition (CVD), high-energy mechanical milling (HEMM), and electro-reduction.