Silicon Anode VS. Graphite: Is Capacity The Main Advantage?
As noted in the previously published investigation, tensions between Russia and Ukraine in recent weeks have led to sharp fluctuations in the prices of applied metals in the battery industry. This war has influenced the price of nickel, cobalt, aluminum, copper, and lithium, so some of them saw a dramatic rise and reached the highest prices in history. Therefore, this price increase has directly affected the cost of electric cars. These fluctuations result in less public acceptance of electric vehicles than internal combustion vehicles in communities. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), 39.9 kg of nickel is used in each electric vehicle: hence, the rise in nickel prices from $ 25,000 per ton to $ 100,000 per ton in the recent weeks has led to a $ 3,200 growth in car prices.
Graphite is one of the most strategic elements of lithium batteries, and the amount of its usage in each electric car is almost twice that of nickel, equivalent to 66.3 kg. In addition, according to data published by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, in 2019, about 68% of graphite applied in batteries was produced by Chinese companies, which indicates this country's domination over this vital substance required for the lithium-ion battery market. Therefore, it should be noted that any political tension among this country with others will lead to severe adverse effects on the price of electric cars. One way to avoid possible political consequences on lithium battery anodes is to replace graphite with silicon.
About two decades have passed since introducing the first generation of silicon-based anodes used in lithium-ion batteries. The most crucial advantage of silicon over graphite is its ten times capacity (4200 mAh g-1) than graphite's (372 mAh g-1). However, the essential benefit of silicon over graphite is the non-monopoly supply of raw materials for silicon anode just in a particular country or company. Inexpensive natural sources of silicon dioxide (silica or SiO2) are widely available worldwide in materials such as beach sand, diatomaceous soil, and agricultural residues such as rice husk, making it possible to produce silicon anywhere in the world. Therefore, the use of silicon instead of graphite increases the security of the battery supply chain and price stability in the battery.
The Battscout team report regarding silicon anode technologies used in lithium-ion batteries has been collected from different patents, various articles, and projects presented by startups, large battery companies, government research institutes, and top lithium-ion batteries researchers. All these resources have been thoroughly reviewed and analyzed. You can download the sample report of silicon anode in our website.
