Properties of amorphous Si thin film anodes prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Amorphous Si (a-Si) thin film anodes were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) at room temperature. Structures and properties of the thin films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and electrochemical measurements. Galvanostatic charge/discharge tests of half cells using lithium counter electrode were conducted at a constant current density of 100 μA/cm2 in different voltage windows. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was obtained between 0 and 1.5 V at various scan rates from 0.1 to 2 mV/s. The apparent diffusion coefficient (DLi) calculated from the CV measurements was about ∼10−13 cm2/s. The Si thin film anode was also successfully coupled with LiCoO2 thin film cathode. The a-Si/LiCoO2 full cell showed stable cycle performance between 1 and 4 V.