Mesoporous, Si/C composite anode for Li battery obtained by 'magnesium-thermal' reduction process

Mesoporous silicon was synthesized by a 'one spot' magnesium-driven reduction reaction from SBA-15 mesoporous silica template and, in turn, carbon coated in order to confer it electronic conduction. Mesoporous Si/C composite material shows good electrochemical performances and cycle reversibility when used as anode in a lithium-ion battery. In particular, we found an initial discharge capacity of about 1500 mAhg(-1) at 0.1 C (=420 mAg(-1)), which tend at a plateau at around 600 mAhg(-1) after 100 cycles with an excellent coulombic efficiency. These encouraging results, albeit preliminary, let us forecast that the mesoporous Si/C composite nanostructured material here reported can be a competitive candidate in the arena of the alternative anodic materials proposed for high capacity lithium batteries due to the relative easiness of its preparation and its promising good electrochemical performances. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.