Electrochemical properties of Si/(FeSiB) anode materials prepared by high-energy mechanical milling

Nano-structured composite with overall atomic composition Si60/(FeSiB)40 has been synthesized by high-energy mechanical milling (HEMM) for Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries as anode material. Crystal structure, microstructure, electrochemical properties, elastic modulus and Vickers hardness (HV) have been observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), electrochemical test and nano-indentation test. With increasing milling time from 6 to 10 h, we observed a relatively homogeneous structure comprised of nano-crystalline active silicon (Si) embedded in less active FeSiB matrix phase. Electrochemical properties of 10 h milled nano-composite powder offers low capacity fade, high coulombic efficiency from 3rd cycle (540 mAh g−1) to until 102nd cycle (495 mAh g−1). The coulombic efficiencies of both 6 and 10 h milled powders are 98% and 99%, respectively. Coin cell cross sections of 6 and 10 h milled powders showed evidence for the void formation during lithiation and delithiation. Nano-indentation results exhibited that the amorphous FeSiB flakes have 2.96 times higher recoverable energy than Si. Resultant composite powders showed high irreversible capacity and stable lithiation and delithiation due to the reduced particle size, increased surface area and the highly elastic FeSiB matrix phase. Research reveals that the obtained nano-composite can be a promising candidate for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries.