A silicon nanoparticle/reduced graphene oxide composite anode with excellent nanoparticle dispersion to improve lithium ion battery performance

Composite anodes of Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) sheets with highly dispersed SiNPs were synthesized to investigate the performance-related improvements that particle dispersion can impart. Three composites with varying degrees of particle dispersions were prepared using different ultrasonication, and a combination of ultrasonication and surfactant. With more dispersed SiNPs, the capacity retention and rate performance as evaluated by galvanostatic cycling using increasing current density rates (500–2500 mA/g) also improved compared with anodes that have poor particle dispersion. These results demonstrate that better nanoparticle dispersion (small clusters to mono-dispersed particles) between the stable and the highly conducting RGO layers, allows the carbonaceous matrix material to complement the SiNP-Li+ electrochemistry by becoming highly involved in the charge–discharge reaction mechanisms as indicated by chronopotentiometry and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Particle dispersion improvement was confirmed to be a key component in a composite anode design to maximize Si for high-performance lithium ion battery (LIB) application.