Silicon
oxycarbides are promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.
In this study, we used the continuous MicroJet reactor technique to
produce organically modified silica (ORMOSIL) spheres which were pyrolyzed
to obtain silicon oxycarbides. The continuous technique allows the
production of large quantities with a constant quality. Different
alkoxysilanes were used to produce the silicon oxycarbides with different
compositions. Thereby, the amounts of silicon–carbon bonds,
as well as the free carbon content, were modified. Electrochemical
testing was carried out in 1 M LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate/dimethyl
carbonate. A mixture of vinyl- and phenyltrimethoxysilane was identified
as the best anode material with a stable performance due to the increased
carbon content. The first-cycle delithiation capacity of the most
stable material was 922 mA h/g, and the capacity retention after 100
cycles was 83% (767 mA h/g).
The MicroJet reactor was used to manufacture polyorganosilsesquioxane beads which were pyrolyzed to obtain silicon oxycarbides and chlorinated to obtain carbide-derived carbon for supercapacitor application.
We investigated the influence of nitrogen groups on the electrochemical performance of carbide‐derived carbons by comparing materials with a similar pore structure with and without nitrogen‐doping. These materials were tested in a half‐cell and full‐cell supercapacitor setup with a conventional organic electrolyte (1 M tetraethylammonium tetrafluoroborate in acetonitrile) and an ionic liquid (1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate). Varying the nitrogen content in the range of 1–7 mass % had no systematic influence on the energy storage capacity but a stronger impact on the rate handling ability. The highest specific capacitance in a half‐cell supercapacitor at a negative potential was 215 F/g in EMIM‐BF4. Using the best‐performing carbide‐derived carbon with and without nitrogen‐doping (i. e., by applying a synthesis temperature of 800 °C), the full‐cell performance was 174 F/g, which results in a high specific energy of 61 Wh/kg in EMIM‐BF4. For the same materials, the corresponding specific energy was about 30 Wh/kg when using the organic electrolyte.
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