Improvement of Lithium Storage Performance of Silica Anode by Using Ketjen Black as Functional Conductive Agent

Abstract

In this paper, SiO2 aerogels were prepared by a sol–gel method. Using Ketjen Black (KB), Super P (SP) and Acetylene Black (AB) as a conductive agent, respectively, the effects of the structure and morphology of the three conductive agents on the electrochemical performance of SiO2 gel anode were systematically investigated and compared. The results show that KB provides far better cycling and rate performance than SP and AB for SiO2 anode electrodes, with a reversible specific capacity of 351.4 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 after 200 cycles and a stable 311.7 mA h g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 after 500 cycles. The enhanced mechanism of the lithium storage performance of SiO2-KB anode was also proposed.

Keywords

• silica-based anode
• Ketjen Black
• electrochemical properties
• lithium-ion battery