When Silicon Materials Meet Natural Sources: Opportunities and Challenges for Low-Cost Lithium Storage

The manipulation of progressive lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density, low cost, and long-term cycling stability is of high priority to meet the growing demands for next-generation energy storage devices. Silicon (Si) has been receiving marvelous attention as a promising anode material for rechargeable LIBs, due to its high theoretical gravimetric capacity and low cost. Si is the second most abundant element in the earth crust in the form of silicates, so it is the most cost-effective element as an anode material in next-generation LIBs. In this review, different natural sources such as rice husk, sugar cane bagasse, bamboo, reed plant, sand, halloysite, and different waste sources such as waste of the solar power industry, fly ash, straw ash, and other industrial waste that can give rise to different nanostructured Si are systematically summarized. In addition, different synthesis methods of fabricating nanostructured Si are reviewed as well as including magnesiothermic reduction, etching methods, ball milling, and chemical vapor deposition. The advantages and disadvantages of these kind of synthesis methods are discussed as well. Furthermore, the opportunities and challenges of nano-Si are also discussed.