Electrochemical Behavior of Microparticulate Silicon Anodes in Ether-Based Electrolytes: Why Does LiNO₃ Affect Negatively?

Silicon has great potential to be applied as an alternative anode in lithium-ion batteries. However, the electrochemical performance of silicon anodes in ether-based electrolytes, which is essential for better understanding the electrochemistry of sulfur/silicon full cells, has not been fully investigated. In this work, the effect of ether-based electrolytes on the cycling performance and surface chemistry of silicon electrodes containing microsized particles was systematically studied. In LiNO3-containing ether-based electrolyte, silicon electrode showed the fastest capacity fading and the shortest cycle life. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to examine the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) properties of silicon microparticles. An unfavorable SEI is responsible for poor cycling performance in ether-based electrolytes. Our results shed new light on the reason for short cycle life of most of the reported sulfur/silicon full cells.