Open AccessPerspective—Reversible Magnesium Storage in Silicon: An Ongoing Challenge
Author(s) -
Dongyang Zhang,
Jintao Fu,
Zeyu Wang,
Lin Wang,
John S. Corsi,
Eric Detsi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the electrochemical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 271
eISSN - 1945-7111
pISSN - 0013-4651
DOI - 10.1149/1945-7111/ab736b
Subject(s) - silicon , magnesium , anode , battery (electricity) , materials science , lithium (medication) , energy storage , electrochemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , metallurgy , electrode , medicine , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , endocrinology
The increasing popularity of rechargeable commercial lithium-ion batteries raises a serious sustainability concern: Relying solely on lithium-ion batteries for the global portable/non-stationary electrochemical energy storage demands will put considerable strain on the resources used in these batteries. Therefore, alternative rechargeable battery technologies, including magnesium-ion batteries, are desirable. Silicon is very attractive for largescale application as a magnesium-ion battery anode due to its high natural abundance and its ultrahigh gravimetric capacity of 3,816 mAh g −1 for magnesium storage in the form of magnesium silicide (Mg 2 Si). Despite these unique advantages, to date the reversible electrochemical storage of magnesium in silicon has not yet been demonstrated experimentally, although theoretical studies predict that alloying reactions of silicon with magnesium are thermodynamically possible. The present article is aimed at elucidating the challenge and current status associated with the reversible storage of magnesium in silicon and presenting the future needs to overcome this challenge.