Silicon is seen as a promising alternative to graphite in lithium-ion battery (LIB) anodes, due to its abundance and higher energy-storage capability — silicon is said to store ten times more energy than graphite in LIB applications. However, manufacturing processes for silicon-based battery materials have been hampered by complexity, toxicity, and high costs, making them infeasible for large-scale production. Advano is addressing these scale issues with their new processing technology.
Advano eliminates the toxic process of producing silicon, as well as harmful mining or quarrying of silica sand, by upcycling scrap silicon waste from semiconductor and solar-panel manufacturing, explains Alexander Girau, Advano founder and CEO. By leveraging manufacturing technologies and infrastructure that already exists, Advano can provide batteries that output more power and are cost-efficient.
Advano has applied a proprietary surface-functionalization platform to its silicon material, A-SiFx, which enables precise manipulation of material surface and supports compatibility with polymer and solid-electrolyte components, making it easier to incorporate into an anode.a
Source: Chemical Engineering
Name of Author: Mary Page Bailey