Dual-functional gum arabic binder for silicon anodes in lithium ion batteries

Gum Arabic (GA), a natural polymer, composed of polysaccharide and glycoprotein, is applied as a binder for silicon anodes in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). An outstanding rate capability for the Si anode of ca. 2000 mAh/g (1C) and 1000 mAh/g (2C) is achieved throughout 500 cycles due to the dual-functions of the binder: the polysaccharide contributes to strong binding force while the glycoprotein provides outstanding tolerance of volume expansion.245