Constructing a Resilient Hierarchical Conductive Network to Promote Cycling Stability of SiO_x Anode via Binder Design

Despite exhibiting high specific capacities, Si-based anode materials suffer from poor cycle life as their volume change leads to the collapse of conductive network within the electrode. For this reason, the challenge lies in retaining the conductive network during electrochemical processes. Herein, to address this prominent issue, a cross-linked conductive binder (CCB) is designed for commercially available silicon oxides (SiO_x ) anode to construct a resilient hierarchical conductive network from two aspects: on the one hand, exhibiting high electronic conductivity, CCB serves as an adaptive secondary conductive network in addition to the stiff primary conductive network (e.g., conductive carbon), facilitating faster interfacial charge transfer processes for SiO_x in molecular level; on the other hand, the cross-linked structure of CCB shows resilient mechanical properties, which maintains the integrity of the primary conductive network by preventing electrode deformation during prolonged cycling. With the aid of CCB, untreated micro-sized SiO_x anode material delivers an areal capacity of 2.1 mAh cm^-2 after 250 cycles at 0.8 A g^-1 . The binder design strategy, as well as, the relevant concepts proposed herein, provide a new perspective toward promoting the cycling stability of high-capacity Si-based anodes.