Abstract Title   Silicon Whisker and Carbon Nanofiber Composite Anode for Lithium Ion Batteries Abstract Author(s)   Junqing Ma, Aron Newman, John Lennhoff, Christopher Lang, Alex Elliott, Kara Constantine Abstract Presenter   Junqing Ma Abstract   Despite silicon’s capacity advantage of 4200 mAh/g over existing graphite anodes, silicon anodes have limited applications. This limitation arises because silicon's volume changes by 300% upon insertion and extraction of lithium which results in pulverization and capacity fading over cycles. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) successfully demonstrated a silicon whisker and carbon nanofiber composite anode for high energy density lithium ion batteries on a Phase I NASA program. The nanocomposite design provides a synergistic improvement in reversible capacity and electrochemical cycling as a result of the unique silicon architecture and structural reinforcement provided by the nanofibers. Using 2 mAh cells, an anode composite capacity of greater than 1100 mAh/g for over 200 cycles at 1C has been achieved. PSI will continue the development effort for this anode material, including fabrication and testing of larger format cells towards the goal of fulfilling the energy storage needs for NASA’s future robotic and human exploration missions.