The Effect of Thermal Treatment on Properties of Composite Silicon-Carbon Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Influence exerted by the temperature of annealing in the atmosphere of argon on the ability of Si-C nanocomposites to enable a reversible introduction of lithium has been studied. It was found that the higher the annealing temperature in the formation of a composite, the lower the capacity of the electrode fabricated from this composite. X-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the capacity decreases because silicon carbide of cubic modification beta-SiC inactive toward formation of lithium alloys or intercalates is formed at T >= 1100 degrees C.