Enhanced lithium-ion battery performance using silver nanowire-decorated multi-walled carbon nanotube composite anodes

In this study, we report the successful synthesis and comprehensive characterization of silver nanowires (Ag-NWs) deposited on multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) films as high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). A facile polyol-assisted method was developed to uniformly grow Ag-NWs (average diameter: 80–120 nm, length: 5–15 μm) on MWCNT substrates, creating a hierarchical three-dimensional conductive network. The Ag-NWs/MWCNTs composite exhibited exceptional structural stability and significantly enhanced electrical conductivity (263 S cm⁻¹) compared to pristine MWCNTs (43 S cm⁻¹). Electrochemical evaluation demonstrated that the optimized Ag-NWs/MWCNTs-15 composite electrode delivered a remarkable reversible specific capacity of 817 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C rate, with 91.2 % capacity retention after 500 cycles at 1 C. The composite maintained exceptional rate capability with 423 mAh g⁻¹ capacity at 5 C, corresponding to 52.1 % retention compared to 23.1 % for pristine MWCNTs. The synergistic integration of Ag-NWs with MWCNTs facilitated rapid electron transfer and efficient Li-ion diffusion pathways, substantially reducing internal resistance and polarization effects. Post-mortem analyses revealed that the Ag-NWs functioned as both active materials for lithium storage through alloying reactions and structural stabilizers, preventing MWCNTs aggregation during cycling while promoting stable SEI formation. This work introduces a promising strategy for developing high-performance composite anode materials with exceptional capacity, cycling stability, and rate capability for next-generation energy storage applications.