Si/SiO₂@Graphene Superstructures for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract

The superstructure composed of various functional building units is promising nanostructure for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) anodes with extreme volume change and structure instability, such as silicon-based materials. Here, a top-down route to fabricate Si/SiO 2 @graphene superstructure is demonstrated through reducing silicalite-1 with magnesium reduction and depositing carbon layers. The successful formation of superstructure lies on the strong 3D network formed by the bridged-SiO 2 matrix coated around silicon nanoparticles. Furthermore, the mesoporous Si/SiO 2 with amorphous bridged SiO 2 facilitates the deposition of graphene layers, resulting in excellent structural stability and high ion/electron transport rate. The optimized Si/SiO 2 @graphene superstructure anode delivers an outstanding cycling life for ≈1180 mAh g −1 at 2 A g −1 over 500 cycles, excellent rate capability for ≈908 mAh g −1 at 12 A g −1 , great areal capacity for ≈7 mAh cm −2 at 0.5 mA cm −2 , and extraordinary mechanical stability. A full cell test using LiFePO 4 as the cathode manifests a high capacity of 134 mAh g −1 after 290 loops. More notably, a series of technologies disclose that the Si/SiO 2 @graphene superstructure electrode can effectively maintain the film between electrode and electrolyte in LIBs. This design of Si/SiO 2 @graphene superstructure elucidates a promising potential for commercial application in high-performance LIBs.

Defect‐Enriched Hollow Porous Carbon Nanocages Enable Highly Efficient Chlorine Evolution Reaction

“…The pore size distribution (PSD) is calculated by non‐local density functional theory (NLDFT) method, also indicating the pore sizes distribution from micropores to mesopores. [ 9a,18 ] HPC‐0.05 sample exhibits a sharp PSD at 0.6 nm, which is close to the thickness of a pentasil wall from ZSM‐5. Meanwhile, the PSD centered at 1.2 nm as well as a broad mesopore range of 2–10 nm can be observed, which can be ascribed to the faithful templation by the NaOH etched ZSM‐5 (Figure 3d).…”

High-performance Si@C anode for lithium-ion batteries enabled by a novel structuring strategy

“…S7 †) of crystalline Si. 27 Si@P shows a prominent peak at 102.9 eV, corresponding to the Si-O bond (SiO x ). No peak of Si 0 was found, which is ascribed to a combination of amorphous SiO x plus compact carbon coating and the limited detection depth of XPS (10 nm).…”

High Energy Density Aqueous Zinc–Chalcogen (S, Se, Te) Batteries: Recent Progress, Challenges, and Perspective

“…Micro‐/nanostructure engineering by controllable synthesis or architecting morphology has been proved to be the most feasible and effective strategy to optimize the electrodes for energy storage and conversion, which has been widely utilized to almost all electrochemical energy storge systems like lithium‐ion secondary batteries or supercapacitors and absolutely enhanced the comprehensive devices performance. [ 203–205 ]…”

“…Micro-/nanostructure engineering by controllable synthesis or architecting morphology has been proved to be the most feasible and effective strategy to optimize the electrodes for energy storage and conversion, which has been widely utilized to almost all electrochemical energy storge systems like lithium-ion secondary batteries or supercapacitors and absolutely enhanced the comprehensive devices performance. [203][204][205] Multifarious nanostructures have been explored to enhance ZIB storage performance, such as nanosheet, [206,207] nanobelt, [208,209] nanorod, [210,211] nanosphere, [212,213] nanotube, [214,215] and nanowires. [216,217] Meanwhile, the particle size, morphology, and crystal facet orientation of S/Se/Te-based cathode materials produces a marked effect in influencing the zinc-ion storage capacity.…”