Double locked silver-coated silicon nanoparticle/graphene core/shell fiber for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes

•Core/shell structured graphene fiber with silver-coated silicon was formed by wet-spinning.•This study examined the battery performance depending on structural effect and different reduction conditions.•We achieved a highly enhanced performance of capacity and excellent rate capabilities, comparing to simple mixture.

We present a fabrication of scalable coaxial core/shell silicon (Si)-graphene fiber prepared by dual-nozzle-induced wet-spinning assembly for high-performance Si anode. Over 50 wt% of Si nanoparticles mixed with graphene oxide suspension can be incorporated in the core with the outstanding dispersibility of unique silver-coated Si nanoparticles in aqueous media. The core fiber is further encapsulated by graphene shell which not only provides conducting pathways, but also alleviates severe volume expansion of Si core. This novel core/shell Si anode with double locked graphene architecture delivers more stable cycle performance and superior rate capability than anodes composed of simple mixture of Si-graphene composites.

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