title: Tin nanoparticles as an effective conductive additive in silicon anodes.
abstract: We have found that the addition of tin nanoparticles to a silicon-based anode provides dramatic improvements in performance in terms of both charge capacity and cycling stability. Using a simple procedure and off-the-shelf additives and precursors, we developed a structure in which the tin nanoparticles are segregated at the interface between the silicon-containing active layer and the solid electrolyte interface. Even a minor addition of tin, as small as ∼2% by weight, results in a significant decrease in the anode resistance, as confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. This leads to a decrease in charge transfer resistance, which prevents the formation of electrically inactive "dead spots" in the anode structure and enables the effective participation of silicon in the lithiation reaction.
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Engineering Program, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.affiliation: Mechanical Engineering Department, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beaudette
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Engineering Program, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.|Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Engineering Program, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.|Central Facility for Advanced Microscopy and Microanalysis, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bozhilov
authors.affiliation: Materials Science and Engineering Program, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.|Mechanical Engineering Department, UC Riverside, Riverside CA, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mangolini