Facile fabrication of hierarchical porous silicon/N-doped carbon composites via biomass fermentation treatment for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Despite the ultrahigh theoretical capacity of Si anodes, their commercial application is severely restricted due to the lack of scalable and low-cost methods to overcome their considerable volume deformation and poor electrical connectivity. Herein, a novel hierarchical porous silicon/N-doped carbon composite (Si/N-PC) is successfully fabricated via simple biomass fermentation with inexpensive wheat flour, and this composite is then used as a high-performance lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode. Wheat flour blended with silicon nanoparticles can be fermented under the action of yeast while releasing carbon dioxide to construct a unique hierarchical porous structure. The added cationic surfactant hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide not only helps uniformly deposit the Si particles in the wheat flour under the action of electrostatic forces but also forms an N-doped carbon layer in combination with the protein in the wheat flour, realizing full utilization of the raw materials. Systematic tests verify that the N-doped hierarchical porous structure contributes to mitigating the volume change, ensuring electrode stability and enhancing the electrical conductivity of the Si/N-PC composite during the charge-discharge process. As anticipated, the obtained Si/N-PC composite electrode can maintain a reversible discharge capacity of 696.1 mAh g−1 for over 300 cycles at a current density of 1 A g−1, exhibiting a 0.17% capacity loss per cycle from the 3rd to 300th cycle. Additionally, this composite electrode delivers a superior rate capability of 946.1 mAh g−1 at a high current density of 2 A g−1, showing the synergistic benefit of the hierarchical porous structure and N doping. This is the first time that a hierarchical porous silicon/N-doped carbon composite has been prepared via biomass fermentation treatment for use in high-performance LIBs. The overall fabrication process of the Si/N-PC composites is low cost and scalable, providing a sustainable strategy for the production of high-performance Si/C anode materials.