Scalable synthesis of Si nanostructures by low-temperature magnesiothermic reduction of silica for application in lithium ion batteries

Si nanoparticles (<10 nm) are in-situ prepared by a magnesiothermic reduction of one-dimensional nanostructured SiO2 at 500 °C, which is obtained using linear polyethyleneimine (LPEI) as a biomimetic template/scaffold/catalyst. The products combine the advantages of Si nanostructures with the buffer effect of SiO2 matrix, and thus the lithium-ion battery using these Si nanostructures as an anode material shows excellent cycling stability and a discharge capacity above 900 mAh/g after 50 cycles.