Research Strategies and Progress in Silicon-Based Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have emerged as the predominant power source for portable and mobile energy storage applications, owing to their well-balanced energy density, superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability. However, the relatively low specific capacity of anode materials remains a critical factor limiting further improvement in the energy density of LIBs. Compared with carbon-based anode materials, silicon-based anode materials exhibit significant advantages, including abundant natural reserves and ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity, making them the most promising alternative to graphite anodes. Nevertheless, silicon-based anodes suffer from severe volume expansion during lithiation/de-lithiation processes, as well as structural degradation caused by dynamic cracking of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. These issues lead to rapid capacity decay and reduced coulombic efficiency, significantly hindering their industrial application. This review systematically summarizes the failure mechanisms induced by volume expansion in silicon-based anode materials and recent research advancements in multidimensional nanostructure optimization and synergistic composite design strategies. Based on these research advances, a comprehensive comparison is performed among different design and optimization strategies for silicon-based anodes, along with prospective for future performance enhancement. The article provides valuable insights that will facilitate the industrialization of silicon-based anode materials.