Multi-scale design of silicon/carbon composite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries:A review

Silicon/carbon composites,which integrate the high lithium storage performance of silicon with the exceptional mechanical strength and conductivity of carbon,will replace the traditional graphite electrodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries.Various strategies have been designed to synthesize silicon/carbon composites for tackling the issues of anode pulverization and poor stability in the anodes,thereby improving the lithium storage ability.The effect of the regulation method at each scale on the final negative electrode performance remains unclear.However,it has not been fully clarified how the regulation methods at each scale influence the final anode performance.This review will categorize the materials structure into three scales:molecular scale,nanoscale,and microscale.First,the review will examine modification methods at the molecular scale,focusing on the interfacial bonding force between silicon and carbon.Next,it will summarize various nanostructures and special shapes in the nanoscale to explore the construction of silicon/carbon composites.Lastly,the review will provide an analysis of microscale control approaches,focusing on the formation of composite particle with micron size and the utilization of micro-Si.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the multi-scale design of silicon/carbon composite anode materials and their optimization strategies to enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries.

Research Progress of Carbon-Silicone Composite Materials

Silicone is a kind of polymer material with high cross-linked structure,which is com-posed by Si-O-Si main chain.Due to the special molecular chain structure,silicone mate-rials are characterized by oxidation resistance,aging resistance,high and low temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance.Moreover,silicone materials have process-able properties,simple forming process,good mechanical property,non-toxic and pollution-free.Therefore,silicone has been widely concerned by researchers at home and abroad.In this paper,the main research progress and application directions of carbon-silicone composite at home and abroad in recent years are reviewed.

Influence of Carbon Content on Element Diffusion in Silicon Carbide-Based TRISO Composite Fuel

The coating layers of Tri-structural Isotropic Particles(TRISO)serve to protect the kernel and act as barriers to fission products.Sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix variably react with TRISO coating layers,leading to the destruction of the coating layers.Investigating how carbon content affects element diffusion in silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuel is of great significance for predicting reactor safety.In this study,silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels with different carbon contents were prepared by adding varying amounts of phenolic resin to the silicon carbide matrix.X-ray Diffraction(XRD)and Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)were employed to characterize the phase composition,morphology,and microstructure of the composite fuels.The elemental content in each coating layer of TRISO was quantified using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy(EDS).The results demonstrated that the addition of phenolic resin promoted the uniform distribution of sintering aids in the silicon carbide matrix.The atomic percentage(at.%)of aluminum(Al)in the pyrolytic carbon layer of the TRISO particles reached its lowest value of 0.55%when the phenolic resin addition was 1%.This is because the addition of phenolic resin caused the Al and silicon(Si)in the matrix to preferentially react with the carbon in the phenolic resin to form a metastable liquid phase,rather than preferentially consuming the pyrolytic carbon in the outer coating layer of the TRISO particles.The findings suggest that carbon addition through phenolic resin incorporation can effectively mitigate the deleterious reactions between the TRISO coating layers and sintering aids,thereby enhancing the durability and safety of silicon carbide-based TRISO composite fuels.

Preparation and properties of porous silicon carbide ceramics through coat-mix and composite additives process

The core-shell structure silicon-resin precursor powders were synthesized through coat-mix process and addition of Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 composite additives.A series of porous silicon carbide ceramics were produced after molding,carbonization and sintering.The phase,morphology,porosity,thermal conductivity,thermal expansion coefficient,and thermal shock resistance were analyzed.The results show that porous silicon carbide ceramics can be produced at low temperature.The grain size of porous silicon carbide ceramic is small,and the thermal conductivity is enhanced significantly.Composite additives also improve the thermal shock resistance of porous ceramics.The bending strength loss rate after 30 times of thermal shock test of the porous ceramics which were added Al2O3-SiO2-Y2O3 and sintered at 1 650 ℃ is only 6.5%.Moreover,the pore inside of the sample is smooth,and the pore size distribution is uniform.Composite additives make little effect on the thermal expansion coefficient of the porous silicon carbide ceramics.

Research progress on silicon/carbon composite anode materials for lithium-ion battery

Silicon （Si） has been considered as one of the most promising anode material for tHe next generation lithium-ion batteries （LIBs） with high energy densities, due to its high theoretical capacity, abundant availability and environmental friendliness. However. silicon materials with low intrinsic electric and ionic conductivity suffer from huge volume variation during lithiation/delithiation processes leading to the pulverization of Si and subsequently resulting in severe capacity fading of the electrodes. Coupling of Si with carbon （C） realizes a favorable combination of the two materials properties, such as high lithiation capacity of Si and excellent mechanical and conductive properties of C. making silicon/carbon composite （Si/C） ideal candidates for LIBs anodes. In this review, recent progresses of Si/C materials utilized in LIBs are summarized in terms of structural design principles, material synthesis methods, morphological characteristics and electrochemical performances by highlighting the material structures. The mechanisms behind the performance enhancement are also discussed. Moreover, other factors that affect the performance of Si/C anodes, such as prelithiation, electrolyte additives, and binders, are also discussed. We aim to present a full scope of the Si/C-based anodes, and help understand and design future structures of Si/C anodes in LIBs,

On the Strength of Silicon Carbide Particulate Reinforced Aluminium Alloy Matrix Composites

In the present study, the modified continuum model, quench strengthening and dislocation pile-up model was respectively used to estimate the yield strength of SiCp/AI composites. The experimental results showed that the modified shear lag model or quench strengthening model would underestimate the yield strength of SiCp/AI composites. However, the modified Hall-Petch correlation on the basis of the dislocation pile-up model, expressed as σcy = 244 + 371λ-1/2, fitted very well with the experimental data, which indicated that the strength increase of SiCp/AI composites might be due to the direct blocking of dislocation motion by the particulate-matrix interface. Namely, the dislocation pile-up is the most possible strengthening mechanism for SiCp/AI composites.

Fabrication of Fine-Grained Si_3N_4-Si_2N_2O Composites by Sintering Amorphous Nano-sized Silicon Nitride Powders

Si3N4-Si2N2O composites were fabricated with amorphous nano-sized silicon nitride powders by the liquid phase sintering （ LPS ）. The Si2 N2O phase was generated by an in-situ reaction 2 Si3 N4 （ s ） ＋ 1.5 02 （ g ） = 3 Si2 N2O （ s ） ＋ N2 （ g ） . The content of Si2 N2 O phase up to 60% in the volume was obtained at a sintering temperature of 1 650℃ and reduced when the sintering temperature increased or decreased, indicating the reaction is reversible. The mass loss, relative density and average grain size increased with increasing the sintering temperature. The average grain size was less than 500 nm when the sintering temperature was below 1 700 ℃. The sintering procedure contains a complex crystallization and a phase transition ： amorphous silicon nitride→equiaxial α- Si3 N4→ equiaxial β- Si3 N4→ rod- like Si2 N2O→ needle- like β- Si3N4 . Small round-shaped β→ Si3 N4 particles were entrapped in the Si2 N2O grains and a high density of staking faults was situated in the middle of Si2 N2O grains at a sintering temperature of 1 650 ℃. The toughness inereased from 3.5 MPa·m^1/2 at 1 600 ℃ to 7.2 MPa· m^1/2 at 1 800 ℃ . The hardness was as high as 21.5 GPa （Vickers） at 1 600 ℃ .

Semisolid forging electronic packaging shell with silicon carbon-reinforced copper composites

To fabricate electronic packaging shell of coppermatrix composite with characteristics of high ther mal conductivity and low thermal expansion coefficient, semisolid forming technology, and powder metallurgy was combined. Conventional mechanical mixing of Cu and SiC could have insufficient wettability, and a new method of semisolid processing was introduced for billets preparation. The SiC/Cu composites were first prepared by PM, and then, semisolid reheating was performed for the successive semisolid forging. Composite billets with SiC 35 % vol ume fraction were compacted and sintered pressurelessly, microstructure analysis showed that the composites pre pared by PM had high density, and the combination between SiC particles and Cualloy was good. Semisolid reheating was the crucial factor in determining the micro structure and thixotropic property of the billet. An opti mised reheating strategy was proposed： temperature 1,025 ℃and holding time 5 min.

Diffusion Bonding of Silicon Carbide Particulate Reinforced 2024 Al Composites

A study has been made on diffusion bonding of SiCp/2024Ai composites by means of pure Al interlayer. In the condition of TB=843 K, PB=16 MPa, tB= 60 min, the diffusion bonded joint, with a shear strength of 235 MPa, was obtained when a 15 μm thick interlayer was used. The results of the shear testing and SEM indicate that fracture of the joint presented characteristics of ductile rupture.

Efficiency and Mechanism of Phosphorus Removal by Coagulation of Iron-manganese Composited Oxide

Iron-manganese composited oxide（FeMnO） was prepared with potassium permanganate and ferrous salt. Interface performance, charge property and structure topography of the FeMnO were investigated. Coagulation efficiency and pollution removal mechanism of the FeMnO were approached. Results show that the main compositions of the FeMnO are δ-manganese dioxide and ferric hydroxide. The specific surface area is about 146.22 m^2/g. The FeMnO contains rich hydroxyl with extremely strong adsorption action and chemical adsorption activity. The zero charge point of the oxide in pure water is about 8.0 of pH value. Under neutral pH value conditions, the FeMnO particle surface carried positive charges. The FeMnO particles are quasi-spherical micro-particles with irregular sizes adjoined each other to form net construction. Phosphorus removal efficiency of the FeMnO is remarkable, the total dissoluble phosphorus of settled water can be reduced below detecting level（0.3 μtg/L） at a FeMnO dosage of 6 mg/L, and total phosphorus below detecting level at a FeMnO dosage of 10 mg/L, for water samples containing total phos- phorus of 1281.70 μg/L and total dissoluble phosphorus of 1187.91 μtg/L. The mechanism of effective coagulation for phosphorus removal is combined results of multiple actions of adsorption, charge neutralization, adsorption/bridging and so on.

Friction and wear properties of casting in-situ silicon particle reinforced ZA27 composites

The effects of silicon particle content and testing temperature on friction and wear properties of casting in-situ silicon particle reinforced ZA27 composites were investigated.The wear mechanisms were mainly discussed by observations of both worn surfaces and their side views.The results indicated that the variations of wear resistance with increasing of silicon particle content,at all of the testing temperatures applied,showed a similar tendency with a manner of non-monotonous change.It was surprised that the wear resistance decreased with the increase of silicon particle content from 2 vol.%to 5 vol.%,while it increased when the content was less than 2 vol.%or more than 5 vol.%.Similarly,the friction coefficient also did not change monotonously.The dominative wear mechanism changed from a relatively severe regime of plastic deformation accompanied by adhesion wear to a mild regime of smear,then to a very severe regime of severe plastic deformation induced wear,and finally again to a relatively mild regime of smear accompanied by abrasive wear as the silicon content increased.The wear resistance always decreased with elevating testing temperature,but the decrease ranges were different for the composites with different silicon contents.The friction coefficients changed irregularly for the different composites with the increase of testing temperature.Correspondingly,the wear mechanism alternated from a mild regime of smear accompanied by abrasive wear to a severe regime of plastic deformation accompanied by adhesion wear.

Determination of Triclocarban, Triclosan and Methyl-Triclosan in Environmental Water by Silicon Dioxide/Polystyrene Composite Microspheres Solid-Phase Extraction Combined with HPLC-ESI-MS

This paper developed a sensitive and efficient analytical method for triclocarban (TCC), triclosan (TCS) and Methyl-triclosan (MTCS) determination in environmental water, which involves enrichment by using silicon dioxide/polystyrene composite microspheres solid-phase extraction and detection with HPLC-ESI-MS. The influence of several operational parameters, including the eluant and its volume, the flow rate and acidity of water sample were investigated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the limits of detection were 1.0 ng/L, 2.5 and 4.5 ng/L for TCC, TCS, and MTCS, respectively. The linearity of the method was observed in the range of 5-2000 ng/L, with correlation coefficients (r2) >.99. The spiked recoveries of TCC, TCS and MTCS in water sampleswereachieved in the range of 89.5% -96.8% with RSD below 5.7%. The proposed method has been successfully applied to analyze real water samples and satisfactory results were achieved.

Self-diffractionin Porous Silicon/PMMA-DR1 Composite Fil ms

Two-layer structure consisting of PS/PMMA-DR1 composite film planar waveguide layer on porous silicon cladding layer was fabricated in our experiment. The induced grating based on the third nonlinear optical properties was formed by interaction of two Nd∶YAG laser beams at 1064nm in the porous silicon/PMMA-DR1 waveguide. The diffraction efficiency of the first order diffracted light is measured to be about 0.2% of the total output.

Mechanochemically Metamorphosed Composites of Homogeneous Nanoscale Silicon and Silicate Oxides with Lithium and Metal Compounds

An active anode material for Li-ion batteries was synthesized using a simple mechanochemical process to minimize the large change in Si volume observed during charge-discharge operation and to compensate for the associated irreversible loss of Li or irreversible capacity loss, which are obstacles to achieve high-performance electrochemical properties during charge-discharge. The composite was mechanochemically milled with Si, lithium oxide, and copper oxide as raw materials;the composite contains Si nanoparticles, amorphous silicon monoxide, and Si-Li or Si-Cu alloy compounds, and it exhibits improved electrochemical properties. In particular, this composite achieved a better capacity retention, higher coulombic efficiency (over 100%), and longer cycling performance than Si alone, indicating considerable optimization of the electrical and ionic conductivity in the composite. The developed method allowed for control of the Li content to compensate for the lack of Li ions in the composite, and the cycling performance was optimized using the Cu alloy, oxide, and Li compounds within the composite.

Synthesis and characterization of high strength polyimide/silicon nitride nanocomposites with enhanced thermal and hydrophobic properties

Polyimide(PI)composite films were synthesized incorporating amino modified silicon nitride(Si_(3)N_(4))nanoparticles into PI matrix via in situ polymerization technique.The mechanical and thermal performances as well as the hydrophobic properties of the as prepared composite films were investigated with respect to the dosage of the filler in the PI matrix.According to Thermogravimetric(TGA)analysis,meaningful improvements were achieved in T5(5%weight loss temperature)and T10(10%weight loss temperature)up to 54.1℃ and 52.4℃,respectively when amino functionalized nano Si_(3)N_(4) particles were introduced into the PI matrix.The differential scanning calorimetry(DSC)results revealed that the glass transition temperature(Tg)of the composites was considerably enhanced up to 49.7℃ when amino functionalized Si_(3)N_(4) nanoparticles were incorporated in the PI matrix.Compared to the neat PI,the PI/Si_(3)N_(4) nanocomposites exhibited very high improvement in the tensile strength as well as Young’s modulus up to 105.4%and 138.3%,respectively.Compared to the neat PI,the composites demonstrated highly decreased water absorption behavior which showed about 68.1%enhancement as the content of the nanoparticles was increased to 10 wt%.The SEM(Scanning electron microscope)images confirmed that the enhanced thermal,mechanical and water proof properties are essentially attributed to the improved compatibility of the filler with the matrix and hence,enhanced distribution inside the matrix because of the amino groups on the surface of Si_(3)N_(4) nanoparticles obtained from surface functionalization.

Electrochemical characteristics of phosphorus doped Si-C composite for anode active material of lithium secondary batteries

Phosphorus doped silicon-carbon composite particles were synthesized through a DC arc plasma torch.Silane(SiH4) and methane(CH4) were introduced into the reaction chamber as the precursor of silicon and carbon,respectively.Phosphine(PH3) was used as a phosphorus dopant gas.Characterization of synthesized particles were carried out by scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffractometry(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and bulk resistivity measurement.Electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic test and electrochemical voltage spectroscopy(EVS).In the experimental range,phosphorus doped silicon-carbon composite electrode exhibits enhanced cycle performance than intrinsic silicon and phosphorus doped silicon.It can be explained that incorporation of carbon into silicon acts as a buffer matrix and phosphorus doping plays an important role to enhance the conductivity of the electrode,which leads to the improvement of the cycle performance of the cell.

Electrophoretic deposition of titanium/silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite composite coating and its interaction with bovine serum albumin

Silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6-x(SiO4)x(OH)2-x, Si-HA) composite coatings on a bioactive titanium substrate were prepared by electrophoretic deposition technique with the addition of triethanolamine (TEA) to enhance the ionization degree of Si-HA suspension. The surface structure was characterized by XRD, SEM, XRF, EDS and FTIR. The bond strength of the coating was investigated. The results show that the depositing thickness and the images of Si-HA coating can be changed with the variation of deposition time. The XRD spectra of Ti/Si-HA coatings show the characteristic diffraction peaks of HA, and the incorporation of silicon changes the lattice parameter of the crystal. The FTIR spectra shows that the most notable effect of silicon substitution is the decrease of intensities of —OH and PO43- groups with the silicon contents increasing. XRD and EDS element analyses present that the content of silicon in the coating increases with increasing silicon concentration in the suspension. The bioactive TiO2 coating formed may improve the bond strength of the coatings. The interaction of Ti/Si-HA coating with BSA is much greater than that of Ti/HA coating, suggesting that the incorporation of silicon in HA is significant to improve the bioactive performance of HA.

Finite element simulation of the micromachining of nanosized-silicon-carbide-particle reinforced composite materials based on the cohesive zone model

A finite element method based on the cohesive zone model was used to study the micromachining process of nanosized silicon-carbide-particle(SiCp) reinforced aluminum matrix composites. As a hierarchical multiscale simulation method, the parameters for the cohesive zone model were obtained from the stress-displacement curves of the molecular dynamics simulation. The model considers the random properties of the siliconcarbide-particle distribution and the interface of bonding between the silicon carbide particles and the matrix.The machining mechanics was analyzed according to the chip morphology, stress distribution, cutting temperature, and cutting force. The simulation results revealed that the random distribution of nanosized SiCp causes non-uniform interaction between the tool and the reinforcement particles. This deformation mechanics leads to inhomogeneous stress distribution and irregular cutting force variation.

Nafion/Silicon Oxide Composite Membrane for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Nafion/Silicon oxide composite membranes were produced via in situ sol-gel reaction of tetraethylorthosilicate （TEOS） in Nafion membranes. The physicochemical properties of the membranes were studied by FT-IR,TG-DSC and tensile strength. The results show that the silicon oxide is compatible with the Nation membrane and the thermo stability of Nation/Silicon oxide composite membrane is higher than that of Nation membrane. Furthermore, the tensile strength of Nation/Silicon oxide composite membrane is similar to that of the Nation membrane. The proton conductivity of Nation/Silicon oxide composite membrane is higher than that of Nation membrane. When the Nation/Silicon oxide composite membrane was employed as an electrolyte in H2/O2 PEMFC, a higher current density value （1 000 mA/cm^2 at 0.38 V） than that of the Nafion1135 membrane （100 mA/cm^2 at 0.04 V） was obtained at 110 ℃.

Preparation and characterization of barium strontium titanate/silicon nanoporous pillar array composite thin films by a sol-gel method

Barium strontium titanate （Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3, BST）/silicon nanoporous pillar array （Si-NPA） thin films were prepared by a spin-coating/annealing technique based on Si-NPA with micro/nano-structure. Both the isomer conversion of acetylacetone and the network structure combined by enol and Ti-alkoxide facilitate the formation of the BST sol and the subsequent crystallization. Before the perovskite BST begins to form, the intermediate phase （Ba, Sr）Ti2OsCO3 is found. The boundary between BST and Si-NPA is of clarity and little interface diffusion, disclosing that Si-NPA is an ideal template substrate in the preparation of multifunctional composite films.