Ion‐ and Electron‐Conductive Buffering Layer‐Modified Si Film for Use as a High‐Rate Long‐Term Lithium‐Ion Battery Anode

Abstract

The rational design of electrochemically and mechanically stable Si anodes is of great importance for the development of high energy density lithium‐ion batteries. In this study, patterned Si‐based (Si/ZnO/C) trilayer composite films were synthesized by magnetron sputtering with the assistance of a patterned mask. The electron‐conductive C layer at the top of the composite film is deposited to enhance the interfacial stability between active film and electrolyte. The ion‐ and electron‐conductive Li2O–Zn middle layer can be ingeniously introduced by means of the poor reversed conversion reaction between ZnO and Li+ ions after the first cycle. The resultant Si/Li2O–Zn/C trilayer composite film delivers a high reversible capacity of 1536 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles at a current density of 1.0 A g−1 and a long high‐rate cycling stability (1400 mAh g−1 after 6000 cycles even at a high current density of 10.0 A g−1). Excellent rate capability and improved Coulombic efficiency are also achieved. The influences of the patterned structure and each modified layer on the electrochemical properties are analyzed systematically. This work offers a new and promising direction to enhance the lithium‐storage properties of Si‐based thin‐film anodes.

Recent Advances in Silicon‐Based Electrodes: From Fundamental Research toward Practical Applications

“…There are two main methods to fabricate Si films: physical vapor deposition (PVD) and CVD. [ 200,201 ] Additionally, micrometer‐scale Si thin films have been fabricated via electron‐beam deposition, and the influence of thickness (ranging from 0.2 to 6 µm) on performance was studied. [ 202 ] It was discovered that an upper‐limit thickness exists, beyond which cycling stability decreases, and that lifetime can be greatly improved by adjusting the Li‐ion insertion depth.…”

Multifunctional roles of carbon‐based hosts for Li‐metal anodes: A review

“…Typically, 3D hosts include conductive (metallic hosts, 15,16 carbon-based hosts, 17,18 etc.) and nonconductive hosts (polymers, 19 glass fibers, 20 etc.).…”

Carbon foam with microporous structure for high performance symmetric potassium dual-ion capacitor

“…Owing to the intermittent and regional characteristics of sustainable energy, such as ocean energy and biomass energy, it is extremely critical to develop energy storage devices with admirable capacity and lifetime [6][7][8][9] . As the most popular energy storage technology, lithium ion batteries (LIBs) have been widely investigated for decades [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] . However, the excessive consumption and the increasing cost of lithium resources severely hamper the wide application of LIBs [18][19][20][21][22][23][24] .…”