Boron-doped three-dimensional porous carbon framework/carbon shell encapsulated silicon composites for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes

Junkai Zhao; Bo Wang; Ziheng Zhan; Meiyang Hu; Feipeng Cai; Konrad Świerczek; Kaimeng Yang; Juanna Ren; Zhanhu Guo; Zhaolong Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.053

Boron-doped three-dimensional porous carbon framework/carbon shell encapsulated silicon composites for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2024 Jun 15:664:790-800. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.053. Epub 2024 Mar 11.

Authors

Junkai Zhao¹, Bo Wang², Ziheng Zhan³, Meiyang Hu³, Feipeng Cai², Konrad Świerczek⁴, Kaimeng Yang⁵, Juanna Ren⁶, Zhanhu Guo⁷, Zhaolong Wang⁸

Affiliations

¹ Energy Research Institute of Shandong Academy of Sciences, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250014, China. Electronic address: zhaojk_sderi@126.com.
² Energy Research Institute of Shandong Academy of Sciences, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250014, China.
³ Interdisciplinary Research Center of Low-carbon Technology and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China.
⁴ Department of Hydrogen Energy, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, Krakow 30-059, Poland.
⁵ Beijing Key Laboratory of Energy Conversion and Storage Materials, College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China.
⁶ College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China; Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
⁷ Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK.
⁸ Interdisciplinary Research Center of Low-carbon Technology and Equipment, College of Mechanical and Vehicle Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, China. Electronic address: zhaolongwang@hnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38492380
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2024.03.053

Abstract

Deleterious volumetric expansion and poor electrical conductivity seriously hinder the application of Si-based anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, boron-doped three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon framework/carbon shell encapsulated silicon (B-3DCF/Si@C) hybrid composites are successfully prepared by two coating and thermal treatment processes. The presence of 3D porous carbon skeleton and carbon shell effectively improves the mechanical properties of the B-3DCF/Si@C electrode during the cycling process, ensures the stability of the electrical contacts of the silicon particles and stabilizes the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer, thus enhancing the electronic conductivity and ion migration efficiency of the anode. The developed B-3DCF/Si@C anode has a high reversible capacity, excellent cycling stability and outstanding rate performance. A reversible capacity of 1288.5 mAh/g is maintained after 600 cycles at a current density of 400 mA g^-1. The improved electrochemical performance is demonstrated in a full cell using a LiFePO₄-based cathode. This study presents a novel approach that not only mitigates the large volume expansion effects in LIB anode materials, but also provides a reference model for the preparation of porous composites with various functionalities.

Keywords: B-doped 3D porous carbon framework; Lithium-ion batteries; Long cycle life; Si-based anode; Synergistic protective effects.