Public Defence in Engineering Physics with Rohan Patil
You are warmly invited to attend the public defence of a doctoral thesis in Engineering Physics by Rohan Patil, who will defend his thesis entitled “A Two-Pot Furnace Synthesis of Silicon Nanoparticle Graphite composite anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.”
Date: 12 June 2026, at 09:00
Venue: O102 Campus Sundsvall and online via Zoom
Thesis title: “A Two-Pot Furnace Synthesis of Silicon Nanoparticle Graphite composite anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries”.
Respondent: Rohan Patil
Main supervisor and chairperson: Associate Professor Jonas Örtegren, Mid Sweden University
Opponent: Professor Ann Mari Svensson, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU
Examination Board:
Professor Rakel Wreland Lindström, KTH
Associate Professor Eduardo Gracia, Umeå University
Associate Professor Fritiof Nilsson, Mid Sweden University
Abstract
Lithium-ion batteries are crucial for the transition to a sustainable energy society, powering everything from portable electronics to electric vehicles. To meet the ever-growing demand for higher energy density, silicon has emerged as one of the most promising alternative anode materials due to its exceptionally high theoretical capacity (up to 4200 mAhg⁻¹), which is nearly ten times that of conventional graphite anode. However, the massive volume expansion (~300–400%) of silicon during lithiation causes severe mechanical stress, particle pulverization, and rapid capacity fading, limiting its commercial viability.
This thesis aims to develop safe, low-cost, and scalable silicon-based anode materials by engineering nanostructured silicon graphite composites and elucidating their fundamental growth mechanisms. This was achieved through a stepwise progression, beginning with a one-pot thermal synthesis of a highly stable silicon-nanographite aerogel (SNGA) composite, and advancing to a two-pot furnace method that decouples precursor generation from nanoparticle deposition. Morphological analysis revealed the in-situ growth of silicon nanoparticles directly onto nanographite flakes, effectively buffering volume expansion during cycling. To better understand and control this nanoparticle formation, a two-pot furnace method was developed, successfully decoupling precursor generation from nanoparticle deposition. This hydrogen-assisted approach eliminates the need for highly toxic precursor gases typical of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD).
By systematically investigating the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters, including temperature, gas flow rate, and dwell time the underlying growth mechanism was identified. Electrochemical evaluation of the resulting binder-free composite electrodes via cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling confirmed their structural integrity and electrochemical stability. The findings presented in this thesis offer a viable pathway for the production of silicon nanoparticle based high-capacity lithium-ion battery anodes.
Learn more about the research findings presented in Rohan Patil's doctoral thesis.