At present, the main limitations
for the practical application
of silicon (Si) as an anode material of a lithium-ion battery are
huge volume variation and low electrical conductivity. Core–shell
silicon/carbon (Si/C) composites can greatly relieve the Si large
volume change and accelerate the low Li+ conductivity;
however, cracking of carbon shell and the failure of the electrode
structure still limit the lithium storage capability and cyclic life.
Herein, a flexible freestanding N-doped core–shell Si/C nanofiber
(SC-NF) anode is prepared by the double-nozzle electrospinning technique.
It has been found that in such fibers, Si particles are encapsulated
by the carbon shell of fibers, which can settle the shortcomings of
pulverization and volume variation of Si. Furthermore, the highly
conductive N–C shell derived from carbonized PAN can accelerate
the diffusion of Li+ and charge transport. As a result,
the as-prepared core–shell SC-NF-0.24 electrode exhibits an
initial specific discharge capacity of 1441 mAh g–1 with a high capacity retention of 76.9% at 0.5 A g–1, and the capacity decay rate of per cycle is only 0.1% (starting
on the third cycle), showing a good cycle property. Therefore, the
as-prepared freestanding core–shell SC-NF material is a prospective
anode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.