Researchers have developed a paper-like material for lithium-ion batteries that has the potential to boost by several time the amount of energy that can be delivered per unit weight of the battery.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering created the material composed of sponge-like silicon nanofibers that are more than 100 times thinner than human hair, to be used in batteries for electric vehicles and personal electronics.

The material was created using a technique called electrospinning, where 20,000 to 40,000 volts are applied between a rotating drum and nozzle, which emits a solution composed of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), and then exposed to magnesium vapor to produce the sponge-like silicon fiber structure.

This nanofiber structure could allow the battery to be cycled hundreds of times without significant degradation, unlike silicon, which suffers from volume expansion that degrades the battery.

“Eliminating the need for metal current collectors and inactive polymer binders while switching to an energy dense material such as silicon will significantly boost the range capabilities of electric vehicles," says Zach Favors, a graduate student who worked on this project.

The findings were published in the paper, “Towards Scalable Binderless Electrodes: Carbon Coated Silicon Nanofiber Paper via Mg Reduction of Electrospun SiO2 Nanofibers.”

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