Phase-separated silicon-tin nanocomposites for high capacity negative electrodes in lithium ion batteries

摘要

Both silicon and tin have a high specific capacity (3600 mAh g~(-1) for Li_(15)Si_4 and 992 mAh g~(-1) for Li_(22)Sn_5 respectively) and are among the most attractive rnaterials for potential negative electrodes in lithium ion batteries. However, mechanical degradation induced by the large volume expansion during the cycling has limited their practical application. In this work, we developed a new class of Si-Sn nanocomposites with unique phase-separated nanostructure, where the amorphous Si nanoparticles are thermodynamically precipitated out from Si-Sn alloy and embedded within the Sn matrix. The phase separationinduced nanostructure provides the capability to mitigate the mechanical degradation, by preventing the nucleation and propagation of microcracks during lithiation. The nanocomposite electrode exhibits relative high capacity (1400 mAh g~(-1)) and excellent cycling stability with the optimum composition and nanostructure.