Carbon-Free Conversion of SiO₂ to Si via Ultra-Rapid Alloy Formation: Toward the Sustainable Fabrication of Nanoporous Si for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

ABSTRACT: Silicon has the potential to improve lithium-ion battery (LIB) performance substantially by replacing graphite as an anode. The sustainability of such a transformation, however, depends on the source of silicon and the nature of the manufacturing process. Today's silicon industry still overwhelmingly depends on the energy-intensive, high-temperature carbothermal reduction of silica─a process that adversely impacts the environment. Rather than use conventional thermoreduction alone to break Si-O bonds, we report the efficient conversion of SiO₂ directly to Mg₂Si by a microwave-induced Mg plasma within 2.5 min at merely 200 W under vacuum. The underlying mechanism is proposed, wherein electrons with enhanced kinetics function readily as the reductant while the "bombardm

SUBMITTER: Fan Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10401573 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature