A simple spray assisted method to fabricate high performance layered graphene/silicon hybrid anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Incorporating silicon (Si) in anodes has shown great promise for the development of high capacity Li-ion batteries (LIBs). Moreover, it is a safe and environmentally benign material, and hence suitable for large-scale manufacturing. However, volumetric expansion of Si particles upon lithiation causes irreversible damage to the anode structure and promotes an unstable solid electrolyte interface (SEI), that cause a rapid capacity drop. The architecture of successful Si-based anodes, therefore, needs to cater to the large volumetric expansion such that the high specific capacity of Si can be taken advantage of without having to worry about the detrimental effects of expansion. In this study, we introduce a simple and cost-effective spray-drying method to fabricate a layered (sandwich-like) anode structure using synthesized Si nanoparticles (NPs) and thermally reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The Si NPs are obtained by the magnesiothermic reduction of SiO2 nanoparticles. Using an original, scalable, and simplistic spraying/drying method, we embedded Si NPs between two coats of strong yet flexible rGO sheets. The sandwich-like structure, which successfully contains the expansion of Si particles, protects the anode from detrimental conditions. With this new and uncomplicated production technique, the rGO-Si-rGO anode after 50 cycles, shows a high specific capacity of 1089 mAhg−1 at 1C with 97% coulombic efficiency and a stable cycling performance at current densities up to 5C