Rational Design of Hierarchical Carbon/Mesoporous Silicon Composite Sponges as High-Performance Flexible Energy Storage Electrodes

Nanostructuring silicon (Si) and combining Si with carbon shells have been studied in recent Li-ion battery electrodes, yet it remains a grand challenge to overcome the low electrical conductivity and associated volume change of Si. Here, by first coating a mesoporous SiO2 (meso-SiO2) onto carbon nanotube (CNT) networks and then converting it into a meso-Si layer covered by carbon, we obtained a freestanding, highly porous composite sponge electrode consisting of three-dimensionally interconnected sandwiched carbon-Si-CNT skeletons. In this hierarchical structure, the macropores among the sponge connect to mesopores in the meso-Si layer so that Li+ diffusion is facilitated, whereas the underlying CNT networks serve as conductive paths for electrons transport. Meanwhile, the outer carbon coating on meso-Si could buffer the volume expansion and prevent material shedding. As a result, our sandwiched carbon-Si-CNT electrodes exhibit large specific capacity, high rate capability and long cycle life. The combination of carbon-wrapped meso-Si and CNT sponges might be a potential strategy for developing efficient electrodes in various energy storage systems.