Interfacial engineering of Si/multi-walled carbon nanotube nanocomposites towards enhanced lithium storage performance

Investigation of interfacial reactions between Si and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and their effect on lithium storage properties has not yet been reported. Herein, deposition of amorphous Si nanoparticles on MWCNTs is reported by a low pressure chemical vapor deposition. The structural and interfacial evolutions upon high-temperature annealing are systematically investigated, and the results show that Si nanoparticles gradually react with MWCNTs from interfacial regions by forming [Formula presented] bonds with increasing annealling temperature, and Si nanoparticles completely convert into SiC by reacting with the interfacial carbon atoms at 1200 °C. When examined as anode materials for lithium ion batteries, the Si/MWCNTs with partial interfacial SiC demonstrate the best lithium storage properties, owing to the robust connections between Si and MWCNTs via a chemical bonding of [Formula presented], which buffers the volume changes during the [Formula presented] alloying-dealloying.