Ultrahigh volumetric capacity lithium ion battery anodes with CNT-Si film

The engineering of various nanocomposites is a promising strategy to address the dramatic volume variation of silicon-based anodes for lithium ion batteries. However, most anode electrodes fabricated under this strategy are somehow hindered for commercial applications due to the relatively low volumetric capacity of the electrodes. Here, we have just developed a novel electrode configuration consisting a pore size-graded thick CNT-Si film with a high reversible volumetric capacity up to 4033 mAh/cm(3) at a current density of 210 mA/g. Furthermore, the resultant electrode exhibits outstanding cycling stability, with a capacity of more than similar to 3000 mAh/cm(3) after 200 cycles at 840 mA/g, and high rate capability of 2000 mAh/cm(3) at 8400 mA/g. The excellent lithium storage performance can be mainly attributed to the pore size-graded structure design of the thick film. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.