3-D Si/carbon nanofiber as a binder/current collector-free anode for lithium-ion batteries

To increase the energy storage capacity of Li-ion batteries (LIBs), novel anode materials having excellent electrochemical properties need to be intensively studied. In particular, although Si as an anode active material has a high theoretical capacity compared to graphite, Si has exhibited irreversible cycle properties due to its volumetric expansion during the charge/discharge process. In this study, a 3-D paper-type Si-carbon nanofiber-composite electrode (Si/CNF-P) as a binder/current collector-free anode for LIBs was prepared using an electrospinning method. The Si/CNF-P exhibited a high initial capacity of 1957 mAh g(-1) at 2 A g(-1) and maintained 1187 mAhg(-1) (retention rate of 60.6%) for 400 cycles. The enhanced performance of Si/CNF-P as an anode without a current collector and a binder in LIBs can be mainly attributed to the voids produced by cross-linked CNFs as a matrix and the electrochemical reaction of Si NPs on the CNFs without additional collapse of the electrode. (C) 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.