Role of Crystalline Si and SiC Species in the Performance of Reduced Hybrid C/Si Gels as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

In recent years, the research on lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) to improve their lifetime, efficiency and energy density has led to the use of silicon-based materials as a promising anode alternative to graphite. Specifically, crystalline silicon (cSi) and silicon carbide (SiC) obtained from deposition or reduction processes (e.g., magnesiothermal reduction) stand out for their electrochemical properties. However, the synthesis routes proposed until now have limitations that make them difficult to afford or operate on a large scale. For this reason, in this work, carbon-silicon (C-Si) hybrid materials synthesized through an efficient route are evaluated as the potential precursor for the obtention of both cSi and SiC species in a single material. The feasibility and influence of the magnesiothermal reduction process were evaluated, and materials with 10 wt.% of reduced Si and 10–26 wt.% of SiC were obtained. Both species play a role in the improvement of the performance of silicon-based materials as anodes in lithium-ion batteries. In comparison with materials obtained by the reduction of silica gels and composites, the reduced C-Si hybrid gels stand out thanks to the homogeneous distribution and stability of the species developed.