Anodes Made of Multicoated Nano-Silicon and Graphene Nanoplatelets in Li-Ion Batteries

Silicon anodes are regarded as a near-term practical application by virtue of their high theoretical specific capacity. Despite this, when high-capacity silicon anodes are cycled, they show poor electrical conductivity, considerable volume variation, and severe aggregation. In this study, multicoated anodes are fabricated based on the layered deposition of nano-silicon and graphene nanoplatelets. An innovative, simple, non-vacuum, and cost-effective aerosol-assisted chemical deposition (AACD) technique is designed to deposit a homogeneous composite coating. The multicoated anodes are processed with an organic solvent and deposited on the spacers as current collectors. A fundamental investigation is conducted on critical aspects such as the solvent and nano-silicon concentration. The gaps between the layers accommodate the volume expansion of silicon for superior cycle performance, while the plane of the layers promotes high-rate capability. After 500 discharge/charge cycles, the multicoated composite anode (with 10 wt.% silicon) demonstrates promising capacity retention of 85.8% in Li-ion batteries. The AACD technique combines the benefits of atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition and aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition, providing an appealing research setting for initial laboratory studies in rechargeable batteries. Furthermore, two ways for presenting cyclic discharge/charge patterns are proposed with generalised algorithms in linear algebra.<br/><br/>Reference: Zhao, Pin-Yi, et al. "Multicoated composites of nano silicon and graphene nanoplatelets as anodes in Li-ion batteries." Materials Advances, 2022, 3, 4514 - 4519