Amorphous silicon as a possible anode material for Li-ion batteries

Silicon thin films have been deposited on porous nickel substrates by low pressure chemical vapor deposition using silane as the precursor gas. At 650°C, the substrates were covered by a 1.2 μm thick amorphous silicon layer. The films were electrochemically cycled vs. a lithium electrode. Despite high capacity up to 1000 mA h/g measured during the first three cycles, the films have shown poor cycling ability over 20 cycles. This fade of the specific capacity is assigned to mechanical disintegration of the electrode during cycling.