Low Temperature Performance of Amorphous Monolithic Silicon Anodes: Comparative Study of Silicon and Graphite Electrodes

Low temperature electrochemical performance of amorphous monolithic columnar silicon anodes was studied in comparison to graphite composite anodes in identical cycling conditions in terms of areal capacity and current density in 1M LiPF 6 in fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC): dimetylcarbonate (DMC) 1:4 electrolyte solution. Marked advantage of amorphous columnar silicon anodes over composite graphite was demonstrated in 0–−30°C, especially −20–−30°C temperature range. Much higher gravimetric and volumetric capacities of Si binder free anodes compared to composite graphite electrodes provide great promise for their application in Li ion batteries at low temperature conditions.