Comparative study on performances of composite anodes of SiO, Si and graphite for lithium rechargeable batteries

Abstract

The electrochemical performances of anode composites comprising elemental silicon (Si), silicon monoxide (SiO), and graphite (C) were investigated. The composite devoid of elemental silicon (SiO:C = 1:1) and its carbon coated composite showed reduced capacity degradation with measured values of 606 and 584 mAh/g at the fiftieth cycle. The capacity retention nature when the composites were cycled followed the order of Si:SiO:C = 3:1:4 < Si:SiO:C = 2:2:4 < SiO:C = 1:1 < SiO:C = 1:1 (carbon coated). A comparison of the capacity retention properties for the composites in terms of the silicon content showed that a reduced silicon content increased the stability of the composite electrodes. Even though the carbon-coated composite delivered low capacity during cycling compared to the other composites, its low capacity degradation made the anode a better choice for lithium ion batteries.