A review of recent advancements in electrospunanode materials to improve rechargeable lithium battery performance

Abstract

Although lithium-ion batteries have already had a considerable impact on making our livessmarter, healthier, and cleaner by powering smartphones, wearable devices, and electric vehicles, demands for significant improvement in battery performance have grown with the continuousdevelopment of electronic devices. Developing novel anode materials offers one of the mostpromising routes to meet these demands and to resolve issues present in existing graphite anodes, such as a low theoretical capacity and poor rate capabilities. Significant improvements over currentcommercial batteries have been identified using the electrospinning process, owing to a simpleprocessing technique and a wide variety of electrospinnable materials. It is important to understandprevious work on nanofiber anode materials to establish strategies that encourage the implementationof current technological developments into commercial lithium-ion battery production, and to advancethe design of novel nanofiber anode materials that will be used in the next-generation of batteries. This review identifies previous research into electrospun nanofiber anode materials based on the typeof electrochemical reactions present and provides insights that can be used to improve conventionallithium-ion battery performances and to pioneer novel manufacturing routes that can successfullyproduce the next generation of batteries.