Novel Nanostructured SiO2/ZrO2 Based Electrodes with Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Lithium-ion Batteries

In this article, a novel anode material with high electrochemical performance, made of elements abundant on the Earth, is reported for use in lithium ion batteries. A chemically synthesised material (SiO2/ZrO2) containing Si-O-Zr bonds, exhibits as much as 2.1 times better electrochemical performance at the 10th cycle than a physically mixed material (SiO2 + ZrO2) of the same elements. When compared to synthesized SiO2 or conventional graphite-based electrodes, the SiO2/ZrO2 anode shows superior capability and cycling performance. This superior performance is ascribed to the effect of ternary compounds, which contributes not only to increasing the packing density, but also to creating the Si-O-Zr bond that makes additional reactions between SiO2/ZrO2 and lithium ions possible. The Si-O-Zr bond also contributes to improved conductivity for SSZ and provides facile paths for charge transfer at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Therefore, the overall internal resistance in a battery would be decreased and better performance could thus be obtained, with this type of anode. In every result, the positive influence of the Si-O-Zr bonds in the anode of a lithium ion battery was confirmed.