The Effect of Preconditioning on the Performance of Silicon Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

With energy concerns gaining global attention, energy storage systems are becoming essential in our daily lives. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are widely used in various applications, e.g., electric vehicles and the space industry. In order to improve the performance of Li-ion batteries, several strategies have been investigated and one of the possible alternatives is to include silicon in the anode material. Therefore, in this study, the focus is on silicon anode material and its optimisation by analysis of different preconditioning procedures. The preconditioning step is unavoidable in the improvement and extension of the cycle life of Li-ion batteries. In a formation cycle, a solid electrolyte interface layer is formed, which is crucial for stable and safe cell performance. It was found that even preconditioning at 0.1 C is better than none and the best results were observed with a formation cycle at 0.05 C. The results were comparable with an addition of more cycles (2 and 5) at 0.05 C.