No abstract

High-performance lithium-ion batteries are commonly built with heterogeneous composite electrodes that combine multiple active components for serving various electrochemical and structural functions. Engineering these heterogeneous composite electrodes toward drastically improved battery performance is hinged on a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of multiple active components and their synergy or trade-off effects. Herein, we report a rational design, fabrication, and understanding of yolk@shell Bi 2 S 3 @N-doped mesoporous carbon (C) composite anode, consisting of a Bi 2 S 3 nanowire (NW) core within a hollow space surrounded by a thin shell of N-doped mesoporous C. This composite anode exhibits desirable rate performance and long cycle stability (700 cycles, 501 mAhg −1 at 1.0 Ag −1 , 85% capacity retention). By in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction, and NMR experiments and computational modeling, we elucidate the dominant mechanisms of the phase transformation, structural evolution, and lithiation kinetics of the Bi 2 S 3 NWs anode. Our combined in situ TEM experiments and finite element simulations reveal that the hollow space between the Bi 2 S 3 NWs core and carbon shell can effectively accommodate the lithiation-induced expansion of Bi 2 S 3 NWs without cracking C shells. This work demonstrates an effective strategy of engineering the yolk@shell-architectured anodes and also sheds light onto harnessing the complex multistep reactions in metal sulfides to enable high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

Silicon-based anodes have the potential to be used in next-generation lithium ion batteries owing to their higher lithium storage capacity. However, the large volume change during the charge/discharge process and the repeated formation of a new solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on the re-exposed Si surface should be overcome to achieve a better electrochemical performance. Fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) has been widely used as an electrolyte additive for Si-based anodes, but the intrinsical mechanism in performance improvement is not clear yet. Here, we combined solid-state NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray photoemission electron microscopy to characterize the composition, structure, and inhomogeneity of the SEI on Si/C composite anodes with or without the FEC additive. Similar species are observed with two electrolytes, but a denser SEI formed with FEC, which could prevent the small molecules (i.e., LiPF6, P–O, and Li–O species) from penetrating to the surface of the Si/C anode. The hydrolysis of LiPF6 leading to Li x PO y F z and further to Li3PO4 could also be partially suppressed by the denser SEI formed with FEC. In addition, a large amount of LiF could protect the cracking and pulverization of Si particles. This study demonstrates a deeper understanding of the SEI formed with FEC, which could be a guide for optimizing the Si-based anodes for lithium ion batteries.