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Vol. 18 (2026)

Regularly Arranged Micropore Architecture Enables Efficient Lithium-Ion Transport in SiOx/Artificial Graphite Composite Electrode

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01929-4
Jaejin Lim
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei‑ro, Seodaemun‑gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Dongyoon Kang
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei‑ro, Seodaemun‑gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Cheol Bak
Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea
Seungyeop Choi
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei‑ro, Seodaemun‑gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Mingyu Lee
Department of Battery Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei‑ro, Seodaemun‑gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Hongkyung Lee
Department of Battery Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei‑ro, Seodaemun‑gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
Yong Min Lee
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei‑ro, Seodaemun‑gu, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea

Corresponding Author: Yong Min Lee

yongmin@yonsei.ac.kr

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 75

Abstract

To enhance the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion battery anodes with higher silicon content, it is essential to engineer their microstructure for better lithium-ion transport and mitigated volume change as well. Herein, we suggest an effective approach to control the micropore structure of silicon oxide (SiOx)/artificial graphite (AG) composite electrodes using a perforated current collector. The electrode features a unique pore structure, where alternating high-porosity domains and low-porosity domains markedly reduce overall electrode resistance, leading to a 20% improvement in rate capability at a 5C-rate discharge condition. Using microstructure-resolved modeling and simulations, we demonstrate that the patterned micropore structure enhances lithium-ion transport, mitigating the electrolyte concentration gradient of lithium-ion. Additionally, perforating current collector with a chemical etching process increases the number of hydrogen bonding sites and enlarges the interface with the SiOx/AG composite electrode, significantly improving adhesion strength. This, in turn, suppresses mechanical degradation and leads to a 50% higher capacity retention. Thus, regularly arranged micropore structure enabled by the perforated current collector successfully improves both rate capability and cycle life in SiOx/AG composite electrodes, providing valuable insights into electrode engineering.


Highlights:
1 The internal pores of the electrode were engineered into a regularly arranged micropore (RAM) structure by introducing a perforated and surface-modified Cu current collector (pCu).
2 The pore network, favorable for fast ion transport, effectively mitigates concentration polarization and enables uniform ion distribution, contributing to high-rate operation of lithium-ion batteries.
3 The RAM structure, featuring a unique interlocking electrode configuration and hydroxyl-rich pCu surface, suppressed mechanical degradation and improved long-term cyclability by 50%.

Keywords

Lithium-ion battery SiOx/artificial graphite composite electrode Microstructure Pore Perforated current collector
Lim, Jaejin, Dongyoon Kang, Cheol Bak, Seungyeop Choi, Mingyu Lee, Hongkyung Lee, and Yong Min Lee. 2025. “Regularly Arranged Micropore Architecture Enables Efficient Lithium-Ion Transport in SiOx/Artificial Graphite Composite Electrode”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (October):75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01929-4.
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