Selective Electrophoretic Deposition of Silicon Nanoparticles onto PAN-Based Carbon Fiber as a Prospective Anode for Structural Li-Ion Batteries

The demand for revolutionizing the lightweight design of Li-ion batteries has become inevitable due to the ever-increasing development of electric transportation modes. Integration of structural and energy storage functionalities into a single structural battery device can be a smart way to improve the overall performance of electric vehicles. In this study, we propose a facile and cost-effective approach to develop a prospective anode for structural Li-ion batteries through electrophoretic deposition of silicon (Si) particles onto polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber. The synthesis method is able to selectively deposit small-sized silicon particles on the surface of carbon fiber, producing a thin, continuous, and porous coating of silicon nanoparticles on commercial PAN-based carbon fiber. The synthesized Si/PAN-based carbon fiber electrode exhibits remarkable mechanical properties, delivering a tensile strength of 2.57 GPa and a tensile modulus of 118.2 GPa. Benefitting from the morphology of the deposited silicon, the discharge capacity of silicon/PAN-based carbon fiber anode can reach 565 mAh g(-1) with 81 % capacity retention after 50 cycles. This work highlights the potential of silicon-modified carbon fiber electrodes obtained via a simple and cost-effective deposition method for structural Li-ion battery applications.