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LiFePO4-covered silicon composite cathode with additional Li storage for lithium-ion batteries

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Abstract

We prepared a composite of LiFePO4 (LFP)-covered silicon particles, C-LFP-Si, via a facile solvothermal process followed by calcination. LFP particles are grown on Si particles and contact closely with them due to the abundant oxygenic groups on the surface of Si. As a result, the Si particles are fully surrounded by LFP, producing a large amount of LFP-Si interfaces. The Si–O oxygenic groups at the interfaces serve as additional Li storage sites, thus resulting in extra capacity. When employed as a cathode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs), the composite possesses a very high reversible specific capacity of 186 mAh g−1 at the rate of 0.1 C, and a high capacity retention rate of 95% after 400 cycles at 1 C. Additionally, the composite also possesses a high specific energy of 618.8 Wh kg−1, much higher than the commercial LFP, and the full cell based on the C-LFP-Si composite cathode can bring a high-mass energy density of 273.1 Wh kg−1. Equally importantly, the fabrication of this structured composite of LFP and Si with large capacity is facile, together with the inherited stability feature, eco-friendliness, and low cost, making it promising in future practical large-scale producing applications.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author under reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology and the Analytical & Testing Centre of Sichuan University for providing part of the analytical instruments.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.81927809 and No.21777108) and the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (No.2019YFG0218).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610207, People’s Republic of China

    Yujue Wang, Yong Guo & Dan Xiao

  2. School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People’s Republic of China

    Yan Meng & Dan Xiao

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  1. Yujue Wang
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  2. Yan Meng
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  3. Yong Guo
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Wang, Y., Meng, Y., Guo, Y. et al. LiFePO4-covered silicon composite cathode with additional Li storage for lithium-ion batteries. Ionics 27, 4983–4993 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11581-021-04267-8

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