Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) process for flexible construction of advanced 3D silicon anode designs in high-energy lithium-ion batteries

The demand for optimized and affordable lithium-ion battery systems increases with the growing number of electrified vehicles. To this aim, 3D electrode architectures and new high energy density materials like silicon are in the focus of research. To implement silicon in the LIFT-process for fast prototype development, a silicon-rich paste was developed and optimized for the printing. The electrodes containing the silicon-rich paste showed a rather high specific capacity of 3029 mAh⋅g-1. To achieve an enhanced cyclability, a new electrode architecture was developed by using subtractive and additive laser processing in a process chain. For this purpose, a state-of-the-art coated graphite electrode was structured, and the cavities were subsequently partially filled with the silicon-rich paste. After reaching end-of-life, the coin cells were disassembled and analyzed using SEM and LIBS measurements regarding the failure mechanisms.