(SiNERGY) Silicon nanowire fabrics for high energy density batteries

Project details

Funding: ERC Proof of Concept, Horizon 2020 Programme (Grant Agreement 963912)
Partners: IMDEA Materials Institute
Project period: 01/10/2020 – 31/03/2022

Abstract

Meeting European energy storage in transport, stationary and emerging sectors requires annual cell capacity of at least 200 GWh in the next 5 years, calling for urgent development of new materials for LIBs that increase energy/power density at lower costs. Silicon, an abundant material with 10-fold higher capacity than graphite, has shown promise as anode material when appropriately nanostructured. The challenge is in producing nanostructured Si networks using simple and scalable processes leading to thick electrodes that are ultimately economically feasible. SiNERGY addresses this challenge by proposing a new simple method for continuous production of nanoengineered self-supported electrodes for high energy density and durable LIBs, with potential performance nearly an order of magnitude above commercial anodes. Compared to existing processes for Si-anode fabrication, this method eliminates several manufacturing steps, offers feasible scale-up, and unlocks high areal capacity (target 20mAh/g). The aim of the PoC is to conduct R&D activities to a) demonstrate LIB performance above commercial technology, b) perform a first analysis of techno-economic scale-up of the manufacturing process to determine operation costs and throughput capacity and to c) evaluate their alignment with the LIB market.

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