Nitridated Si–Ti–Ni alloy as an anode for Li rechargeable batteries

•Nitridated Si–Ti–Ni alloy was obtained by the NH3 nitridation of Si–Ti–Ni alloy.•Nitridated Si–Ti–Ni electrode showed high reversible capacity and rate capability.•Improvements are attributed to nitride compounds which benefits both mechanics and kinetics.

Nitridated Si–Ti–Ni (STN) ternary alloy as an anode for lithium ion batteries is prepared by the NH3 nitridation of STN alloy. The nitridated STN electrode shows 14% increased reversible capacity and 4 times higher rate capability at 3 C compared to those of pristine STN electrode. These improvements are attributed to the formation of nitride compounds (such as SiNx/SiNxOy, TiNx/TiNxOy and NiNx/NiNxOy) on STN alloy, which benefits both mechanics and kinetics.

Graphical abstractNitridated Si–Ti–Ni (STN) ternary alloy prepared via simple nitridation treatment shows excellent electrochemical performance as an anode material.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide