Development of Silicon-Graphite-Reduced Graphene Oxide Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Silicon (Si) anode was recently studied to overcome the storage capacity of graphite anode for lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Si performs best as one of the candidates for anode material since its storage capacity is higher than that of graphite anode roughly ten times. However, due to its drastic volume expansion, prevention of capacity loss requires a support material such as carbon-based materials. Herein, Si-Graphite composite with the addition of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) was prepared and studied. The electrochemical evaluation of the prepared anode versus Li chip suggests a higher capacity than conventional graphite. The initial discharge capacity of Si-Graphite with RGO is ca. 740 mAh g-1 at 0.3 A cm-2. Also, as a full-cell with lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides (NMC811) cathode, capacity was achieved up to ca. 160 mAh g-1 at 0.1C. The prototype of the 18650 cells also delivered a high storage capacity of up to 2.0 Ah at 0.1C. The result suggests the possibility of up-scaling Si-Graphite with RGO composite for higher storage capacity and cycling stability for the next generation of Li-ion batteries.