{
  "abstract": "Magnesiothermic reduction is a promising route for synthesizing nanostructured silicon for battery anodes, yet commercial scalability is hindered by highly exothermic reaction conditions and reliance on hydrofluoric acid (HF) for purification. Here, it is demonstrated that intrinsic thermal accumulation during bulk synthesis drives the formation of magnesium silicate. To counteract this effect, a binary calcium chloride–magnesium chloride salt mixture was used as an intrinsic heat sink. By tuning its liquidus temperature to 675 °C, the reaction exotherm was absorbed via latent heat of fusion, preventing byproduct formation without microreactor geometries. Furthermore, an optimized ethanol-based purification protocol was developed to suppress surface silicon oxidation. This suppression circumvented the need for HF etching to remove unreacted surface oxides, resulting in a final silicon yield of approximately 93%. Additionally, powder X-ray diffraction is established as a predictive, high-throughput screening tool; the intensity of the amorphous scattering peak reliably correlates with surface oxide thickness and subsequent electrochemical failure. Ultimately, the fully optimized, HF-free silicon demonstrated sustained cyclability and capacity retention comparable to traditional HF-etched baselines. By resolving thermal scaling limits and surface oxide formation, this work establishes a high-yield and HF-free pathway for the commercial manufacturing of silicon anode active material.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA",
    "Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Kyle Charles Manwaring"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jaeseok Kim"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Lizbeth Zurita-Garcia",
      "orcid": "0009-0003-4374-3867"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Brian Anthony Mazzeo",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3558-1461"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Dean Richard Wheeler",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5017-3194"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22f0je9kestv8.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/batteries12100407",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "22f0je9kestv8",
  "issns": [
    "2313-0105"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/12/10/407",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2208|Advancements in Battery Materials"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221151785",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-08",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22f0je9kestv8.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:47Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/batteries12100407",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2313-0105/12/10/407"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "issn:2313-0105",
      "subfield": "electrochemistry-energy"
    }
  ],
  "title": "High-Yield Synthesis of Battery-Grade Silicon from Halloysite Through HF-Free Metallothermic Reduction",
  "title_text": "High-Yield Synthesis of Battery-Grade Silicon from Halloysite Through HF-Free Metallothermic Reduction",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:47Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/22f0je9kestv8",
  "venue": "Batteries",
  "versions": []
}