Preparation and electrochemical properties of mesoporous Si/ZrO2 nanocomposite film as anode material for lithium ion battery

A mesoporous Si/ZrO2 nanocomposite film was fabricated by the surface sol–gel process. The Si nanoparticles as active materials were dispersed homogeneously into the mesoporous ZrO2 film. The electrochemical performance of the mesoporous Si/ZrO2 nanocomposite film as anode material of lithium-ion battery was investigated by the charge/discharge method and slow rate cyclic voltammogram. The first irreversible capacity was very low and the initial coulombic efficiency was 84.5% for the Si/ZrO2 nanocomposite compared to that of nanosized Si. The mesoporous Si/ZrO2 nanocomposite film delivered a reversible capacity of 1690 mAh g−1, and the degradation of discharge capacity was obviously suppressed during the charge–discharge cycling. The ZrO2 mesonetwork could alleviate the volume expansion of Si powder and promote the contact between Si nanoparticle and the electrolyte, which led to the improvement of electrochemical properties of the Si/ZrO2 nanocomposite.