Fabrication of Si Nanoparticles@Carbon Fibers Composites from Natural Nanoclay as an Advanced Lithium-Ion Battery Flexible Anode

Abstract

In this paper, a cost-effective strategy for fabricating silicon-carbon composites was designed to further improve the electrochemical performance and commercialization prospects of Si anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Silicon-carbon fibers (CFs) were prepared by loading Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) on interconnected carbon fibers via an electrospinning technique (SiNPs@CFs). The Si nanoparticles were obtained by the reduction reaction of natural clay minerals. As a flexible anode for LIBs, the SiNPs@CFs anode demonstrated a reversible capacity of 1238.1 mAh·g −1 and a capacity retention of 77% after 300 cycles (in contrast to the second cycle) at a current density of 0.5 A·g −1 . With a higher current density of 5.0 A·g −1 , the electrode showed a specific capacity of 528.3 mAh·g −1 after 1000 cycles and exhibited a superior rate capability compared to Si nanoparticles. The excellent electrochemical properties were attributed to the construction of flexible electrodes and the composite comprising carbon fibers, which lessened the volume expansion and improved the conductivity of the system.

When Silicon Materials Meet Natural Sources: Opportunities and Challenges for Low‐Cost Lithium Storage

“…SiO 2 was extracted from natural halloysite nanoclay through selective acid etching. [ 47 ] A novel 3D porous Si‐G micro/nanostructure (i.e., 3D interconnected network of graphene‐wrapped porous Si spheres, Si@G network) was prepared. Using in situ magnesiothermic reduction methodology through layer‐by‐layer assembling (Figure 7a).…”

“…Thereafter through electrospinning Si nanoparticles and organic polymer composite is prepared ( Figure a), such composite can deliver a high reversible capacity. [ 47 ] Porous Si nanoparticles were fabricated by the process of magnesiothermic reduction with assistance of molten salt using a clay mineral. Such clay possesses different structures on the nanoscale such as chain layered pal, layered pal, and tabular hal.…”

“…Reproduced with permission. [ 47 ] Copyright 2018, MDPI. b) Synthesis of ultrathin Si nanosheets from natural clay.…”

Strategies for Controlling or Releasing the Influence Due to the Volume Expansion of Silicon inside Si−C Composite Anode for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…As societies expand and flourish, the demand for energy is also increasing. Due to the limited supply of conventional fuels and increasing environmental pollution, research on sustainable, green energy storage technology is ongoing [1][2][3]. For example, wind, solar, and nuclear sources have been widely developed and applied.…”

Selective Fabrication of Barium Carbonate Nanoparticles in the Lumen of Halloysite Nanotubes

“…The length of Hal varies between 100~1000 nm, the interior and external diameter are about 15~20 nm and 50~80 nm, respectively [5,6]. Hal has many unique properties such as high surface area, high aspect ratio, high porosity, large surface chemical properties, non-toxic biocompatibility and good thermal stability [7], etc., making Hal widely used as a hydrogen storage matrix [8][9][10], catalysis supports [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19], nanoreactors [20][21][22], medicine carrier, biological antibacterial [4,[23][24][25][26] and other functional materials [27][28][29][30][31][32]. Some excellent reviews have summarized the physical and chemical properties of Hal with structural modification methods and have included the applications of the Hal-based materials [33][34][35][36].…”