Ultrafast Joule-Heating Disproportionation for Engineering Sub-2 nm Si Nanodomains toward Stable, High-Performance...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Energy Storage

Background:

• Silicon monoxide (SiO) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries.
• SiO suffers from significant volume expansion and poor cycling stability due to electrochemical disproportionation.
• Existing thermal disproportionation methods are energy-intensive and lack control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce Flash Joule heating (FJH) as an efficient method for SiO prestabilization.
• To investigate the effect of FJH on the formation and characteristics of silicon nanodomains.
• To evaluate the electrochemical performance of FJH-prestabilized SiO anodes.

Main Methods:

• Silicon monoxide (SiO) was subjected to Flash Joule heating (FJH) for rapid disproportionation.
• The resulting nanostructure was characterized, focusing on silicon (Si) nanodomain size, density, and crystallinity.
• Electrochemical performance was evaluated in NCM811 full cells.

Main Results:

• FJH achieved SiO disproportionation in 0.3 seconds with high energy efficiency.
• Ultrafast heating allowed precise control over Si nanodomain formation, preventing SiO2 crystallization.
• Optimized anodes with ~1.5 nm Si nanodomains delivered 1419 mAh g-1 with excellent cycling stability (96.6% retention after 150 cycles).

Conclusions:

• FJH is an effective and energy-efficient method for pre-engineering SiO anodes.
• The FJH-induced nanostructure significantly improves electrochemical performance and cycling stability.
• This approach offers a promising route to durable, high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes.