Scalable synthesized high-performance TiO2-Si-C hybrid anode for lithium batteries

At present, developing a simple strategy to effectively solve the shackles of volume expansion, poor conductivity and interface compatibility faced by Si-C anode in lithium batteries (LIBs) is the key to its commercialization. Here, low-cost nano-Si powders were prepared from Si-waste of solar-cells by sanding treatment, which can effectively reduce the commercialization cost for Si-C anode. Furthermore, micro-nano structured Gr@Si/C/TiO2 anode materials with graphite (Gr) as the inner core, TiO2-doped and carbon-coated Si as the outer coating-layer, were synthesized at kilogram-scale per milling batch. Comprehensive characterization results indicate that TiO2-doped carbon layer can improve the interface compatibility with the electrolyte, further promote the reduction of electrode polarization, and finally enhance the battery performance for the Gr@Si/C/TiO2 anodes. Accordingly, Gr@Si/C/TiO2 composites can output excellent LIB performance, especially with high initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 82.51% and large average reversible capacity of similar to 810 mA h g(-1) at 0.8 A g(-1) after 1000 cycles. Moreover, Gr@Si/C/TiO2||NCM811 pouch full cells deliver impressive performance especially with high energy density of similar to 489.3 W h kg(-1) based on the total weight of active materials, suggesting its promising application in the high performance LIBs. (C) 2022 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Developing a simple strategy to solve the challenges faced by Si-C anode in lithium batteries is crucial for its commercialization. Low-cost nano-Si powders were prepared from Si-waste of solar-cells, effectively reducing the commercialization cost. Micro-nano structured Gr@Si/C/TiO2 anode materials with improved interface compatibility and battery performance were synthesized, showing promising applications in high performance LIBs.