Enabling stable high-performance CoO-assisted Si@C anode via ball milling strategy

Developing sustainable and simple preparation methods of Si/C composites for lithium-ion battery anodes that are capable of delivering high performance is essential, but remains a challenge. In this work, a sustainable and simple ball milling coupled with carbonization method is developed to construct an advanced Si@Co@C composite anode with a characteristic structure. The structure-property correlations of Si@Co@C in lithium storage are studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ex-situ characterization techniques such as XPS, XRD and TEM. The findings show that CoO assisting, porous carbon coating and LiF-rich SEI layer together make Si@Co@C exhibit improved lithiation/delithiation kinetics and structure durability during cycle and hence outstanding electrochemical performance with 1248.5, 927.0 and 591.5 mAh g−1 at 100, 1000 and 3000 mA g−1 after 400 cycles, respectively. Impressive performance is also observed in the full battery test of Si@Co@C. Finally, this work offers meaningful reference for developing advanced Si/C anode through a facile method.