Synthesis of Si-Sb-ZnO Composites as High-Performance Anodes for Lithium-ion Batteries

The Si-Sb-ZnO composites were prepared by a chemical reduction-mechanical alloying method and were employed as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The electrochemical performance of the Si-Sb alloy was significantly improved by the addition of ZnO nanoparticles. Especially, the initial specific charge and discharge capacities for Si-Sb-(ZnO)0.3 composite were 845.1 and 1301.5 mAh/g, respectively, while the initial coulombic efficiency was 64.9 %. The capacity remained at 690 mAh/g after 200 cycles, and the capacity retention ratio was 81.6 %, which demonstrated excellent cycling stability and rate capability of the composite materials.