Ionic MT has released a new method of making anodes for lithium-ion batteries. It is a material made from silicon that can replace graphite and improve performance.
A few days ago we told you that the battery industry, including electric cars, was going to face a serious problem: the shortage of graphite to produce anodes for lithium-ion batteries.
We also commented that part of the solution to the problem would be that the different investigations that are being carried out to reduce the presence of graphite in batteries were successful and could be brought into production.
«With our approach, scalability is our advantage»
Well, today we echo the announcement made by Ionic Mineral Technologiesa company specializing in materials technology: the use of halloysite, from which nanosilicon can be made as an effective replacement for graphite in battery anodes.
what is halloysite
Halloysite is an aluminum silicate clay which has a natural nanotubular structure. Due to its qualities, it is the ideal raw material from which to economically scale up the production of nanosilicon.
Nanosilicon, which Ionic MT has commercially known as Ionisiloffers several advantages over graphite anodes, as well as conventional silicon anodes currently being studied, says Ionic MT.
“Graphite is the weak link that limits lithium-ion battery performance. Nano-silicon is the benchmark scalable solution for global electric vehicle manufacturers.
“Conventional microsilicon can swell and cause battery cells to rupture; with nano-silicon, these problems are mitigated », he continues. “With nanosilicon, the swelling is mitigated and does not lead to rupture. Up to 100% of graphite can be replacedresulting in a battery with higher energy density and significantly faster charging.”
Comparative table silicon anode vs. graphite anode
According to Ionic MT, the charging capacity of lithium-ion batteries with nanosilicon anodes is 10 times higher than that of graphite. In addition, they are 8 times faster charging up to 80% of its full capacity.
How Ionisil is made
Ionic MT claims that it uses a simple and cost-effective process to convert natural mineral feedstock into an extremely powerful insert material that supercharges lithium-silicon batteries.
The synthesis process converts halloysite into a high-capacity nanostructured silicon active material as follows:
- Using conventional industrial equipment, halloysite alumina is acid etched and filtered to create silicon feedstock from pure silicon oxide nanotubes. Precipitated alumina gel is also created as a critical mineral by-product.
- This raw material is subjected to a process that converts silicon oxide powder into silicon metal powdermaintaining its nanometric structure.
- Using conventional industrial equipment, this process can be easily scaled to tens of thousands of tons to address unmet demand for nanosilicon.
Advantages of Ionisil anodes
Ionic TM affirms that the production of this nanosilicon made from halloysite already has a scalable production that will reach 3,000 tons during the second half of 2023. In addition, it points out the following advantages derived from its use as an anode for lithium-ion batteries:
- Higher energy density and faster charging for lithium batteries, which results in greater autonomy and shorter charging times.
- Silicon nanowires arranged in a forest of wires allow swelling tolerance and crack resistance. Thus extends cell life to such an extent that silicon anodes may become a competitive technology.
- Halloysite emerges from the earth with a 100% natural nanotube structure and a silicon oxide shell. This means that it can be converted to nanosilicon with significantly less energy than most nanosilicon products and can be easily scaled up to produce several thousand tons per year using conventional industrial equipment.
- It is produced by a intrinsically clean and safe synthesis routeusing non-toxic materials and without gas emissions in its production process.
- It is produced by veterans of the mining industry and Leverage simple and proven equipment. Equipment and process are established and reliable.
- Third parties, including the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory, have tested and validated the effectiveness of Ionisil to improve battery performance.
Halloysite-derived nanosilicon is, according to Andre Zeitoun, founder and CEO of Ionic™, “a game changer for the industry. We are the first to harness this vast natural resource for the electric vehicle supply chain. With our approach, scalability is our advantage », he concludes.