Intertwining porous silicon with conducting polymer for high-efficiency stable Li-ion battery anodes

Porous silicon anodes have been extensively investigated for the high-performance lithium-ion battery, owing to their high capacity and structural robustness as dominantly incorporated with conductive carbon sheath. However, the typical high-temperature annealing process for carbon coating induces the collapse of pre-engineered pores and limits the full utilization of porous structures. In this work, porous silicon flake intertwined with doped polyaniline was prepared via redox-transmetalation reaction followed by a wet coating process of conducting polymer. The proposed method eliminates the risk of pore collapse and utilizes the conductive network without compromising the porous structure. As a result, the prepared composite consisting of porous silicon flake and doped polyaniline shows an extended battery cycle life, reduced electrode swelling, and increased efficiency.