Characterizations and electrochemical behaviors of disproportionated SiO and its composite for rechargeable Li-ion batteries

Commercially available solid SiO is composed of amorphous Si with silicon suboxides of various valence states. Solid SiO is thermodynamically unstable at all temperatures, which would disproportionate to Si and SiO₂. Disproportionation of SiO at several temperatures was characterized with various analytical techniques, such as XRD, XPS, NMR and HRTEM methods, and it was found that the sample heat treated at 1000 °C contained well-developed Si nanocrystals uniformly dispersed within an amorphous SiO_x matrix. Using this sample, a nano-Si/SiO_x/graphite composite was obtained by a straightforward high-energy mechanical milling technique. The nano-Si/SiO _x/graphite composite was tested as an anode material for Li secondary batteries, and showed better electrochemical behaviors than those of pure SiO.