Micron-Sized SiOx-Graphite Compound as Anode Materials for Commercializable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The electrode concept of graphite and silicon blending has recently been utilized as the anode in the current lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) industry, accompanying trials of improvement of cycling life in the commercial levels of electrode conditions, such as the areal capacity of approximately 3.3 mAh/cm2 and volumetric capacity of approximately 570 mAh/cm3. However, the blending concept has not been widely explored in the academic reports, which focused mainly on how much volume expansion of electrodes could be mitigated. Moreover, the limitations of the blending electrodes have not been studied in detail. Therefore, herein we investigate the graphite blending electrode with micron-sized SiOx anode material which is one of the most broadly used Si anode materials in the industry, to approach the commercial and practical view. Compared to the silicon micron particle blending electrode, the SiOx blending electrode showed superior cycling performance in the full cell test. To elucidate the cause of the relatively less degradation of the SiOx blending electrode as the cycling progressed in full-cell, the electrode level expansion and the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) thickening were analyzed with various techniques, such as SEM, TEM, XPS, and STEM-EDS. We believe that this work will reveal the electrochemical insight of practical SiOx-graphite electrodes and offer the key factors to reducing the gap between industry and academic demands for the next anode materials.

Preparation of Silicon Oxide-Carbon Composite with Tailored Electrochemical Properties for Anode in Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…Generally, it is known that the size of the anode active material should be 15 µm or less to provide a sufficient reaction surface area and maintain ionic/electronic conductivity during charging/discharging [31]. In the case of the SiOx@C composite prepared in this experiment, the average particle size is under 8 µm; thus, it is considered that it may be applicable to the manufacturing process of an anode material without an additional particle sizing step.…”

“…In the case of the SiOx@C composite prepared in this experiment, the average particle size is under 8 µm; thus, it is considered that it may be applicable to the manufacturing process of an anode material without an additional particle sizing step. Generally, it is known that the size of the anode active material should be 15 µm or less to provide a sufficient reaction surface area and maintain ionic/electronic conductivity during charging/discharging [31]. In the case of the SiO x @C composite prepared in this experiment, the average particle size is under 8 µm; thus, it is considered that it may be applicable to the manufacturing process of an anode material without an additional particle sizing step.…”

Preparation and properties of porous silicon anode coated with nitrogen-doped carbon for lithium-ion battery

“…However, the problems of easy agglomeration and low electronic conductivity seriously limit commercial promotion of nano-silicon. Therefore, micron-scale silicon anode needs to be developed vigorously [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Zhao et al [22].…”