In-situ Growth of Silicon Nanowires on Graphite by Molten Salt Electrolysis for High Performance Lithium-ion Batteries

Abstract Application of silicon is limited by the great volume change during lithium insertion/extraction process, which causes a rapid capacity reduction in lithium-ion batteries. In this study, silicon nanowires were in-situ grown on graphite surface by molten salt electrolysis. Meanwhile, silicon carbides were formed and serving as the connections between silicon and graphite. After being coated by carbon, the prepared silicon nanowires/graphite@carbon composite with an initial capacity of about 674.4 mAh/g demonstrates a capacity retention of 90.04% after 100 cycles (at 0.5 C) in coin-type cell tests. This study offers an effective method to prepare high performance silicon-based material for lithium-ion batteries.