Hydrofluoric Acid-Free Electroless Deposition of Metals on Silicon in Ionic Liquids and Its Enhanced Performance in Lithium Storage

Metal nanoparticles such as Au, Ag, Pt, and so forth have been deposited on silicon by electroless deposition in the presence of hydrofluoric acid (HF) for applications such as oxygen reduction reaction, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, as well as for lithium ion batteries. Here, we show an HF-free process wherein metals such as Sb and Ag could be deposited onto electrodeposited silicon in ionic liquids. We further show that, compared to electrodeposited silicon, Sb-modified Si demonstrates a better performance for lithium storage. The present study opens a new paradigm for the electroless deposition technique in ionic liquids for developing and modifying functional materials.