Polydopamine Wrapping Silicon Cross-linked with Polyacrylic Acid as High-Performance Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

A robust silicon electrode for lithium-ion battery has been developed via prepolymerizing dopamine on silicon particle surface and then chemical binding with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). In this favorable electrode, silicon nanoparticles are covered by a thin layer of polydopamine (PD) through firm hydrogen bonds between phenolic hydroxyl and hydroxyl, while the elastic polymer layer reacts with PAA binder to form three-dimensional cross-linked binding system. The Si@PD/PAA electrode exhibits more stable cycle performance than conventional electrodes. In the case of thick electrode, a capacity of 3.69 mA h cm–2 and fairly good rechargeability for 80 cycles can be achieved.