Nanostructured SiOx-based anodes synthesized by a scalable micelle assisted method for high-performance lithium-ion battery

Abstract

Nanostructured silicon-based particles have been widely developed as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, nanostructuring usually requires complicated procedures and huge environmental pollution, which seriously hinder the commercialization of silicon-based anodes. Here, a scalable micelle-assisted method is developed to generate nanostructured SiOX-based particles by preventing the condensation between the reactive silanol groups. Benefiting from the scalable nanostructuring procedure, the hydrophilic polyethylene oxide segment of F127 is anchored on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) by hydrogen bonding, and the micelle formed by F127 with the silane precursor can further prevent the aggregation of GO sheets during the reduction process, leading to the nanostructured SiOX/C particles are attached to the surface of reduced graphite oxide (rGO). The nanostructured SiOX/C and rGO composites can reduce the crack risk of SiOX during (de)lithiation processes and decrease the diffusion length for Li+, while the uniformly distributed graphene network limits the agglomeration of nanoparticles during cycling and helps to improve electronic conductivity. As a result, the synthesized SiOX-based anode shows excellent cycling stability (>90% capacity retention from the 3rd to 500th) and fast Li + transport performance. This strategy provides a new scalable method to generate nanostructured SiOX-based particles for high-performance batteries.