Si–Ni Nanofoam Composites with a 3D Nanoporous Structure as a High-Loading Lithium-Ion Battery Anode

Nanoporous metals have attracted much attention in energy storage due to their nanoporous structure, large specific surface area, three-dimensional (3D) conductive network, and excellent ductility. Especially as a current collector, nanoporous metals have unparalleled advantages. In this work, we develop a facile method to fabricate Si–Ni nanofoam composites for a high-loading Si anode in a lithium (Li)-ion battery. The Si particles in the composites take full advantage of Ni nanofoams to overcome the series of problems caused by the volume expansion of Si materials. By introducing a constant current–constant voltage mode, as a high-loading Si anode, the composite electrode exhibits high capacity and excellent cycling performance (1.39 mAh cm–2 after 100 cycles, with 69.5% capacity retention). In addition, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image after the cycles shows that the Ni nanofoams can play a role similar to the steel mesh in reinforced concrete, stabilize the composite electrode structure, and improve the Li storage performance.