Facile synthesis of SiOx/C as high-performance anodes for lithium-ion batteries

Despite its high capacity (-2615 mAh center dot g(-1)), silicon oxide (SiOx) suffers from low electrical conductivity and volume expansion during cycling, leading to capacity fading. In this work, a SiOx/C composite was synthesized by magnesium thermal reduction using co-assembled mesoporous SiO2 and graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) as precursors. The SiOx/C composite displays a sheet-like nanostructure with highly dispersed SiOx. The presence of carbon enhances the conductivity and structural stability of the composite, leading to a low charge resistance (94.0 Omega), fast lithium diffusion (DLi+ = 5.15 x 10(-14) cm(2)center dot s(-1)), and excellent cycling capability (863 mAh center dot g(-1) after 160 cycles).