New type of the nanostructured composite Si/C electrodes

The silicon-carbon composite films, with the silicon and carbon relative content from 39.5: 60.5 to 87: 13 and thickness 100–480 nm, are prepared by magnetron sputtering with layer-by-layer deposition of the components. The film structure is studied by using X-ray diffraction analysis and atomic-force microscopy. All studied films were found to be roentgen-amorphous. Despite the films were deposited in a layer-by-layer mode, they have granular structure, with the granules sized 10–80 nm. The lithium incorporation from LiClO₄ solution in propylene carbonate-dimethoxyethane mixture is studied. All studied films reversibly incorporate lithium; thus, they can serve as the basis for negative electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. The initial capacity of the composite-film electrodes is 1.5 to 2.8 A h/g. As the films are submerged to cycling, the capacity decreases, mainly due to the films’ insufficiently strong adhesion to the substrate, which results in the film defoliation. The most cycling-resistant are the thinnest films containing no less than 30% carbon. The capacity of the best samples is as high as 1 A h/g after 200 cycles.