Silicon and reduced graphene oxide employed as additives to enhance the performances of artificial graphite anode for lithium-ion battery

In order to inherit the advantages of graphite anode and further to improve its capacity for practical applications regarding lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), a three-dimensional (3D) porous artificial graphite/silicon/reduced graphene oxide (G/Si/rGO) aerogel with low silicon content of 4.5 wt.% was fabricated. In this aerogel, artificial graphite (G) acted as a main component, and silicon (Si) nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were employed as additives. As a result, G/Si/rGO anode was twice as high as the graphite anode regarding the reversible specific capacity after 100 cycling. Furthermore, the G/Si/rGO anode exhibited excellent rate-performance. The enhanced performances of the G/Si/rGO anode were attributed to its structure, in which the compatibility between Si and G was improved by introducing rGO as bridges, conductivity was enhanced and volume stress was released by the constructed 3D porous rGO frame. The systematically reported synthesis strategy may have practical significance for increasing capacity of the current graphite anode with only a small amount of Si.