Porous silicon based negative electrodes for lithium ion batteries

Various structures of macroporous silicon intended for the fabrication of lithium ion battery anodes have been studied. Macroporous membranes were prepared by the photoelectrochemical etching of n-type silicon wafers possessing various resistances, followed by the removal of the substrate. The porosity was increased via additional oxidation with the subsequent etching of oxide. The electric contacts on the membrane were fabricated by depositing copper with a titanium sublayer and soldering the structure to a supporting molybdenum disk. The electrochemical characteristics of anodes were studied in a cell with a lithium counterelectrode. These measurements showed that the obtained porous silicon electrodes possess a high capacity for lithium insertion (up to 50 mAh/cm(2)) and admit more than 20 charge/discharge cycles.