Synthesis and electrochemical performance of mesoporous SiO2–carbon nanofibers composite as anode materials for lithium secondary batteries

Abstract In this study, carbon nanofibers (CNFs) and mesoporous SiO 2 –carbon nanofibers composite were synthesized and applied as the anode materials in lithium secondary batteries. CNFs and mesoporous SiO 2 –CNFs composite were grown via chemical vapor deposition method with iron-copper catalysts. Mesoporous SiO 2 materials were prepared by sol–gel method using tetraethylorthosilicate as the silica source and cetyltrimethylammoniumchloride as the template. Ethylene was used as the carbon source and passes into a quartz reactor of a tube furnace heated to 600 °C, and the temperature was maintained at 600 °C for 10 min to synthesize CNFs and mesoporous SiO 2 –CNFs composite. The electrochemical characteristics of the as-prepared CNFs and mesoporous SiO 2 –CNFs composite as the anode of lithium secondary batteries were investigated using a three-electrode cell. In particular, the mesoporous SiO 2 –CNFs composites synthesized without binder after depositing mesoporous SiO 2 on Ni foam showed the highest charging and discharging capacity and retention rate. The initial capacity (2420 mAh/g) of mesoporous SiO 2 –CNFs composites decreased to 2092 mAh/g after 30 cycles at a retention rate of 86.4%.