Nitrogen Plasma-Assisted Functionalization of Silicon/Graphite Anodes to Enable Fast Kinetics

The practical use of silicon anodes is interfered by the following key factors: volume expansion, slow kinetics, and low electrical and ionic conductivities. Many studies have focused on surface engineering from the particle to electrode level to achieve stability and energy density. Herein, simple nitrogen gas plasma is introduced as a surface treatment method for silicon-based electrodes to avoid the problems of material synthesis-based functionalizations (e.g., high cost, time consuming, and low quality). The introduction of activated nitrogen gas on electrode surfaces changes the binding energy and resistance of silicon, increasing the reversibility of the charge/discharge reaction of silicon-based anodes. In addition, such doping and dehydrogenation of the electrode surface improve reaction kinetics to 876 mA h g^-1 specific capacity at 8.5 A g^-1 in silicon/graphite anodes even with a high silicon content of 40%. The proposed strategy, through nitrogen plasma, offers advantages for direct functionalization on electrode surfaces by a simple method.