Influence of carbon sources on the performance of carbon-coated nano-silicon

Silicon-based material is an important anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. In order to overcome its shortcomings, carbon coating is often employed to improve the electrochemical performance. However, the carbon source, carbon content, and different contact and mixing schemes between carbon sources and silicon are all complex factors and need to be clarified. In this study, nano-silicon is coated by the chemical vapor deposition method using different carbon sources, such as acetylene, methane, propane, and propylene. Carbon content after coating is designed to stay at the same level to reduce the experimental error. Results show the sample with higher conductivity provides higher cycle performance. Propylene is the best choice of the four carbon sources studied in this work. These results indicate that the selection of the carbon source is an important factor that plays a significant role in electrochemical performance.