Pre-Lithiation Strategies of Silicon–Carbon Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries: Research Progress and Future Prospects

Abstract

Silicon–carbon (Si/C) anodes, as an attractive alternative to traditional anode materials, have been extensively studied for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, their widespread application still faces several key obstacles, including low initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) and a fast capacity decay rate. Pre-lithiation as an effective strategy has been widely used to address these issues through compensating for active lithium loss. This review comprehensively analyzes the failure mechanisms of Si/C anodes during cycling, including structural degradation, SEI instability, and kinetic constraints. The recent pre-lithiation progresses are evaluated in three categories based on the different manufacturing stages: pre-lithiation during active material synthesis, pre-lithiation during electrode fabrication, and pre-lithiation after full-cell assembly. This classification integrates pre-lithiation strategies and industrial production workflows, enabling a systematic evaluation of the relationships between cost, lithium utilization efficiency, and battery performance. Novel techniques such as dry pre-lithiation, bifunctional electrolyte additives, and topological intercalation are also investigated for their contributions to improved ICE, cycling stability, and energy density. Although significant progress has been made, obstacles related to the degree of pre-lithiation, lithiation uniformity, and process compatibility continue to restrict the large-scale application of Si/C anodes. Finally, a detailed analysis of these challenges in Si/C anodes is provided, and future development prospects are discussed for next-generation LIBs with enhanced performance and expanded commercial viability.