Silicon oxycarbide-antimony nanocomposites for high-performance Li-ion battery anodes.

Silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) has recently regained attention in the field of Li-ion batteries, owing to its effectiveness as a host matrix for nanoscale anode materials alloying with Li. The SiOC matrix, itself providing a high Li-ion storage capacity of 600 mA h g-1, assists in buffering volumetric changes upon lithiation and largely suppresses the formation of an unstable solid-electrolyte interface. Herein, we present the synthesis of homogeneously embedded Sb nanoparticles in a SiOC matrix with the size of 5-40 nm via the pyrolysis of a preceramic polymer. The latter is obtained through the Pt-catalyzed gelation reaction of Sb 2-ethylhexanoate and a poly(methylhydrosiloxane)/divinylbenzene mixture. The complete miscibility of these precursors was achieved by the functionalization of poly(methylhydrosiloxane) with apolar divinyl benzene side-chains. We show that anodes composed of SiOC/Sb exhibit a high rate capability, delivering charge storage capacity in the range of 703-549 mA h g-1 at a current density of 74.4-2232 mA g-1. The impact of Sb on the Si-O-C bonding and on free carbon content of SiOC matrix, along with its concomitant influence on Li-ion storage capacity of SiOC was assessed by Raman and 29Si and 7Li solid-state NMR spectroscopies.

Silicon Oxycarbide-Tin Nanocomposite as a High-Power-Density Anode for Li-Ion Batteries.

Tin-based materials are an emerging class of Li-ion anodes with considerable potential for use in high-energy-density Li-ion batteries. However, the long-lasting electrochemical performance of Sn remains a formidable challenge due to the large volume changes occurring upon its lithiation. The prevailing approaches toward stabilization of such electrodes involve embedding Sn in the form of nanoparticles (NPs) in an active/inactive matrix. The matrix helps to buffer the volume changes of Sn, impart better electronic connectivity and prevent particle aggregation upon lithiation/delithiation. Herein, facile synthesis of Sn NPs embedded in a SiOC matrix via the pyrolysis of a preceramic polymer as a single-source precursor is reported. This polymer contains Sn 2-ethyl-hexanoate (Sn(Oct)2) and poly(methylhydrosiloxane) as sources of Sn and Si, respectively. Upon functionalization with apolar divinyl benzene sidechains, the polymer is rendered compatible with Sn(Oct)2. This approach yields a homogeneous dispersion of Sn NPs in a SiOC matrix with sizes on the order of 5-30 nm. Anodes of the SiOC/Sn nanocomposite demonstrate high capacities of 644 and 553 mAh g-1 at current densities of 74.4 and 2232 mA g-1 (C/5 and 6C rates for graphite), respectively, and show superior rate capability with only 14% capacity decay at high currents.

New Insights into Understanding Irreversible and Reversible Lithium Storage within SiOC and SiCN Ceramics.

Within this work we define structural properties of the silicon carbonitride (SiCN) and silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) ceramics which determine the reversible and irreversible lithium storage capacities, long cycling stability and define the major differences in the lithium storage in SiCN and SiOC. For both ceramics, we correlate the first cycle lithiation or delithiation capacity and cycling stability with the amount of SiCN/SiOC matrix or free carbon phase, respectively. The first cycle lithiation and delithiation capacities of SiOC materials do not depend on the amount of free carbon, while for SiCN the capacity increases with the amount of carbon to reach a threshold value at ~50% of carbon phase. Replacing oxygen with nitrogen renders the mixed bond Si-tetrahedra unable to sequester lithium. Lithium is more attracted by oxygen in the SiOC network due to the more ionic character of Si-O bonds. This brings about very high initial lithiation capacities, even at low carbon content. If oxygen is replaced by nitrogen, the ceramic network becomes less attractive for lithium ions due to the more covalent character of Si-N bonds and lower electron density on the nitrogen atom. This explains the significant difference in electrochemical behavior which is observed for carbon-poor SiCN and SiOC materials.