Dense Silicon Nanowire Networks Grown on a Stainless‐Steel Fiber Cloth: A Flexible and Robust Anode for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

Silicon nanowires (Si NWs) are a promising anode material for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high specific capacity. Achieving adequate mass loadings for binder‐free Si NWs is restricted by low surface area, mechanically unstable and poorly conductive current collectors (CCs), as well as complicated/expensive fabrication routes. Herein, a tunable mass loading and dense Si NW growth on a conductive, flexible, fire‐resistant, and mechanically robust interwoven stainless‐steel fiber cloth (SSFC) using a simple glassware setup is reported. The SSFC CC facilitates dense growth of Si NWs where its open structure allows a buffer space for expansion/contraction during Li‐cycling. The Si NWs@SSFC anode displays a stable performance for 500 cycles with an average Coulombic efficiency of >99.5%. Galvanostatic cycling of the Si NWs@SSFC anode with a mass loading of 1.32 mg cm−2 achieves a stable areal capacity of ≈2 mAh cm−2 at 0.2 C after 200 cycles. Si NWs@SSFC anodes with different mass loadings are characterized before and after cycling by scanning and transmission electron microscopy to examine the effects of Li‐cycling on the morphology. Notably, this approach allows the large‐scale fabrication of robust and flexible binder‐free Si NWs@SSFC architectures, making it viable for practical applications in high energy density LIBs.

Easy Diameter Tuning of Silicon Nanowires with Low-Cost SnO2-Catalyzed Growth for Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…Moreover, tin is a lithium-alloying material that can participate in lithiation/delithiation. Several studies have demonstrated its ability to grow SiNWs [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ] and the capacity of tin-grown silicon as an anode material in lithium-ion cells [ 25 ]. Growth must also allow for the control of the structure, size and shape of the SiNWs, as these features have a strong impact on their electrochemical behavior [ 11 ].…”

Zero‐Strain High‐Capacity Silicon/Carbon Anode Enabled by a MOF‐Derived Space‐Confined Single‐Atom Catalytic Strategy for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

“…The content of C, N, Zn, and Si elements in the composite sample is 64. confirming that Zn element in the MDNs exists as single atoms. The XRD pattern of the Si NDs⊂MDN displays three typical diffraction peaks corresponding to the (111), (220), and (311) planes of Si crystal (JCPDS 27-1402), [37][38][39] respectively, suggesting Si nanodots are in crystalline phase. Raman spectrum of the Si NDs⊂MDN and MDN (Figure 2b) exhibits typical peaks corresponding to Si, and D and G bands of graphitic carbon, [37,38,40] respectively, in good agreement with the XRD characterization.…”

Subsuming the Metal Seed to Transform Binary Metal Chalcogenide Nanocrystals into Multinary Compositions

“… 26 − 31 The seed here is a catalyst to lower the eutectic temperature and at the end of the reaction remains intact as a metal particle either coupled to the semiconductor component as a heterostructure or separated in solution. 32 − 34 …”