Electrochemical Characterization of Si/Al Multilayer Thin Film Anode Materials for High Energy Lithium Secondary Batteries

Abstract

Nanostructured silicon is a promising material for high capacity anodes in lithium batteries, offering a specific capacity an order of magnitude beyond conventional graphite. But the large volume change of silicon during lithiation and delithiation and the resulting poor cyclability has prevented its commercial application. Herein, we report Si/Al multilayer thin film electrodes which are deposited on a Ni substrate by alternate sputtering of Si and Al at room temperature. Si/Al multilayer thin films are prepared using an RF magnetron sputtering method, and their potential use as anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries is investigated. The insertion of the Al layer into the Si layer improves the cycling performance. Si/Al multilayer thin films show an amorphous structure. The electrochemical characteristics of Si/Al multilayer film electrode can be controlled by the thickness, and number of stacked Si layers. Our prepared multilayer structures provided a promising research platform that may eventually lead to an optimized anode structure for advanced rechargeable lithium secondary batteries.