Synthesis of Si/C Composites by Silicon Waste Recycling and Carbon Coating for High-Capacity Lithium-Ion Storage

It is of great significance to recycle the silicon (Si) kerf slurry waste from the photovoltaic (PV) industry. Si holds great promise as the anode material for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity. However, the large volume expansion of Si during the electrochemical processes always leads to electrode collapse and a rapid decline in electrochemical performance. Herein, an effective carbon coating strategy is utilized to construct a precise Si@C_PPy composite using cutting-waste silicon and polypyrrole (PPy). By optimizing the mass ratio of Si and carbon, the Si@C_PPy composite can exhibit a high specific capacity and superior rate capability (1436 mAh g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1 and 607 mAh g^-1 at 1.0 A g^-1). Moreover, the Si@C_PPy composite also shows better cycling stability than the pristine prescreen silicon (PS-Si), as the carbon coating can effectively alleviate the volume expansion of Si during the lithiation/delithiation process. This work showcases a high-value utilization of PV silicon scraps, which helps to reduce resource waste and develop green energy storage.