Polymer-derived ceramics as anode material for rechargeable Li-ion batteries: a review

Abstract

Lithium ion batteries (LIB) is currently the most promising of all battery technologies for effi cient storage of electrical energy and powering of electric vehicles. However, the ongoing LIB research faces multiple issues pertaining to materials, cost and safety. One of the major factors that dictate the performance of LIB is its electrode's Li-storage (anode/ cathode) capacity, cycleability and effi ciency. In this article, the authors evaluate the recent experimental progress made in LIB anode materials prepared from polymer-derived ceramics (PDC). PDCs have several unique characteristics that differentiate them from other conventional carbon or silicon-based anodes. Most notably PDCs exhibit high chemical and thermodynamic stability under adverse operational conditions. Learnings from the analysis of experimental observations can be carried forward to design advanced PDCs, thereby improving overall performance of the battery, particularly for automotive applications.

SiCNO–GO composites with the negative temperature coefficient of resistance for high‐temperature sensor applications

“…Graphene is a single tightly packed sheet of carbon atoms that are bonded together to form a hexagonal honeycomb lattice . There has been interest in integrating graphene in PDCs to alter their physical properties . For example, SiCN‐graphene composite anodes were fabricated, in which graphene sheets were inset in the ceramic network of SiCN .…”

Effect of carbon content on the structure and electronic properties of silicon oxycarbide anodes for lithium-ion batteries: a first-principles study

“…[2][3][4][5] The silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) anode shows good electrochemical performance in terms of Li insertion, and recent experiments revealed that the storage capacity of SiCO ceramic materials is three times larger than that of graphite; [6][7][8][9][10][11] in particular, the silicon-centered tetrahedrons in SiCO sequester an equivalent of $50 000 mA h g À1 per atom. The graphite-based anode material used in commercial Li-ion batteries has a specic capacity of 372 mA h g À1 , 1,2 and this level of capacity places limitations on the energy densities that can be attained for many types of recently developed portable equipment.…”

Polymeric materials for lithium‐ion cells

“…They are covalently bonded ceramics, generally synthesized through controlled thermal decomposition of certain organosilicon polymers such as polysilazane, polysiloxanes, polycarbosilanes, and polyborosilanes in inert atmosphere. The excellent properties of PDCs may be attributed to their temperature‐dependent microstructure, which consists of −sp 2 ‐bonded carbon networks along with nanodomains of silicon mixed‐bond tetrahedra that resist crystallization up to approximately 1300–1500°C …”

“…These issues may be addressed by altering the chemical structure of the starting polymer (and hence, the final ceramic), increasing surface area (by inducing porosity and surface etching), or adding electrically conducting nanofillers with a favorable chemical composition. Much of the work involving PDC anodes has been concentrated on polysilazane‐derived SiCN and polysiloxane‐derived SiOC systems …”