High energy density amorphous silicon anodes for lithium ion batteries deposited by DC sputtering

As more and more applications require high energy density electrochemical storage systems that deliver more than 200 Wh/kg, Lithium-ion batteries with silicon-based anodes provide promising electrochemical properties especially high specific capacity. In this paper, we present micro-grain structured silicon deposited by DC sputtering on special copper foil that serves as current collector. It is demonstrated that high-density silicon anodes are obtained with more than 2000 mAh g(-1) and 2.0 mAh cm(-2) that can be considered as a commercial value. In addition, irreversible capacity during the first galvanostatic cycle can be lower than 20% for such anodes. Finally, it is found that there exists a clear correlation between the grain-size and the texture of the amorphous silicon to the electrochemical performance of half-cells. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.