Scalable Synthesis of Nano-Silicon from Beach Sand for Long Cycle Life Li-ion Batteries

Title	Scalable Synthesis of Nano-Silicon from Beach Sand for Long Cycle Life Li-ion Batteries
Authors	Zachary Favors, Wei Wang, Hamed Hosseini Bay, Zafer Mutlu, Kazi Ahmed, Chueh Liu, Mihrimah Ozkan, Cengiz S. Ozkan
Magazine	Scientific Reports
Date	07/08/2014
DOI	10.1038/srep05623
Introduction	This study presents a method to synthesise porous nano-silicon using beach sand through a scalable magnesiothermic reduction, enhanced by NaCl. This environmentally friendly approach allows large-scale production of nano-silicon, offering excellent electrochemical performance as an anode material for Li-ion batteries. The interconnected 3D network of nano-silicon, with a thickness of 8-10 nm, is formed using NaCl as a heat scavenger. The carbon-coated nano-silicon electrodes demonstrate performance, maintaining a capacity of 1 024 mAhg−1 at 2 Ag−1 after 1 000 cycles.
Quote	Zachary Favors, Wei Wang and Hamed Hosseini Bay et al. Scalable Synthesis of Nano-Silicon from Beach Sand for Long Cycle Life Li-ion Batteries. Sci Rep. 2014. Vol. 4. DOI: 10.1038/srep05623
Element	Silicon (Si) , Magnesium (Mg) , Sodium (Na) , Carbon (C)
Materials	Nanocomposites , Oxides , Elemental Semiconductors
Topics	Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials
Industry	Energy Storage & Batteries