A Hybrid Structure to Improve Electrochemical Performance of SiO Anode Materials in Lithium-Ion Battery

The wide utilization of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) prompts extensive research on the anode materials with large capacity and excellent stability. Despite the attractive electrochemical properties of pure Si anodes outperforming other Si-based materials, its unsafety caused by huge volumetric expansion is commonly admitted. Silicon monoxide (SiO) anode is advantageous in mild volume fluctuation, and would be a proper alternative if the low initial columbic efficiency and conductivity can be ameliorated. Herein, a hybrid structure composed of active material SiO particles and carbon nanofibers (SiO/CNFs) is proposed as a solution. CNFs, through electrospun processes, serve as a conductive skeleton for SiO nanoparticles and enable SiO nanoparticles to be uniformly embedded in. As a result, the SiO/CNF electrochemical performance reaches a peak at 20% the mass ratio of SiO, where the retention rate reaches 73.9% after 400 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g^-1, and the discharge capacity after stabilization and 100 cycles are 1.47 and 1.84 times higher than that of pure SiO, respectively. A fast lithium-ion transport rate during cycling is also demonstrated as the corresponding diffusion coefficient of the SiO/CNF reaches ~8 × 10^-15 cm² s^-1. This SiO/CNF hybrid structure provides a flexible and cost-effective solution for LIBs and sheds light on alternative anode choices for industrial battery assembly.