Thermal Stability of Lithiated Silicon Anodes with Electrolyte

The thermal behavior of lithiated Si anodes has been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In particular, the effect of Si particle size on the thermal stability of a fully lithiated Si electrode was investigated. For DSC measurements, a lithiated Si anode was heated in a hermetically sealed high-pressure pan with a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) binder and a I M LiPF6 solution in an ethylene carbonate (EC)-diethyl carbonate (DEC) mixture. The thermal evolution around 140 degrees C increases with lithiation and with decreasing particle size; this phenomenon is attributed to the thermal decomposition of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film. Exothermic peaks, following a broad peak at around 140 degrees C, shift to a lower temperature with a decrease in particle size, indicating that the thermal stability of the lithiated Si electrode strongly depends on the Si particle size.