Copper nanorods supported phosphorus-doped silicon for lithium storage application

Functional Cu nanorods supported P-doped Si anode was designed to improve the performance of lithium-ion batteries for high-power applications. The binder-free anode consists of an electrochemical etched Cu nanorod network coated with P-doped Si. The obtained electrode exhibits excellent rate capability and superior cyclability. At a rate of 2 A/g, the anode presents a capacity of 2010 mA h/g even after 80 cycles with a capacity retention of above 80%. The anode also presents a stable rate performance even at a high rate of 10 A/g. The enhanced performance can be mainly ascribed to the Cu nanorod network which could result in a nanocable structure on the micro-level and play a role of scaffolding on the macro-level, as well as the nature of high conductivity and amorphism of the heavy P-doped Si coating.