Abstract
In this study, we present a facile technique for producing the amorphous carbon-coated Silicon (Si) mixed with commercial graphite (Gt) as anode active material for lithium-ion batteries. The carbon is coated onto Si particles with a single-step method from a low-cost alcohol-based source, namely furfuryl alcohol. The carbon-coated Si is then mixed with the Gt and the amount of Si is varied to obtain a stable cycling performance. The best cycling performance is obtained when the Si@C weight ratio with respect to Gt is adjusted to 10%. The cell containing the optimized Si@C anode able to deliver 415 mAh/g capacity after 100 cycles at 0.2C rate while the commercial state-of-the-art Gt anode only delivers a capacity of 303.9 mAh/g after 100 cycles. The materials are further characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electronic Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM/EDS), Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), Raman, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectrometry and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED). Electrochemical characterizations like Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) analysis of the half-cells are carried out. Finally, the post-mortem analysis of the cells is carried out using SEM/EDS, post-cycling CV, and EIS.