Just reading this as I am a battery guy...

So, if there is a rush to silicon in this vertical (as stated herein), is it possible to employ an opto-electronic device as a holy grail option for electrode design?

This is for the techies... thanks.

For a half-dozen or so years, researchers around the world have been on a feverish quest—to make electronic devices last a lot longer, electric cars go much further, and renewable power a broader reality, all at an affordable price. But the prize has remained elusive. We are still frustrated by dead phones, and most people can’t afford a $132,000 Tesla.

Now, a flurry of Silicon Valley startups are reporting progress on one of the most confounding ideas under study: to make an electrode of high-energy silicon, the same material used in computer chips and solar panels. It’s a scientific holy grail that, if tackled, could help the industry achieve much of what it’s seeking.