Silicon-carbon hybrid materials have shown promise as an anode for lithium-ion batteries. Silicon has a higher specific capacity (3600 mAh/g) compared to conventional graphite anodes (372 mAh/g). However, upon lithiation silicon expands to 320% its original size, fracturing the anode material after only a few charges. To build a silicon-carbon hybrid anode material, we do so by reacting silicon with acetylene to interconnect the particles. To promote the reaction, sonication and heating was used while acetylene gas flows through the particles. The reaction caused the particles to aggregate into large clumps, the size of which was a function of the time spent in exposure to the acetylene gas. Future research includes investigating alternative reactions, compressing the material into a pellet to form a singular solid anode material, and measuring its properties for suitability as an anode material for lithium ion batteries.

Formation of a silicon-carbon hybrid anode material for lithium-ion batteries

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