Nano-Si/cellulose composites as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

In this work we report an easy method for improving the deficient properties of nanosized Si as an electrode material for lithium cells. The method involves mixing it with cellulose fibers in appropriate amounts. A composite electrode made in a ratio 34:66% w/w Si/cellulose and containing no other additive was found to exhibit very good cycling properties (e.g., specific capacity of ca. 1400 mAh/g after 50 cycles, compared to only 400 mAh/g for the electrode made from pure Si). The performance was comparable to, or even better than, that of other Si-based composite electrodes obtained by using more sophisticated and expensive methods.