Enhancing micro-scale SiO_x anode durability: Electro-mechanical strengthening of binder networks via anchoring carbon nanotubes with carboxymethyl cellulose

With the increasing prevalence of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) applications, the demand for high-capacity next-generation materials has also increased. SiO_x is currently considered a promising anode material due to its exceptionally high capacity for LIBs. However, the significant volumetric changes of SiO_x during cycling and its initial Coulombic efficiency (ICE) complicate its use, whether alone or in combination with graphite materials. In this study, a three-dimensional conductive binder network with high electronic conductivity and robust elasticity for graphite/SiO_x blended anodes was proposed by chemically anchoring carbon nanotubes and carboxymethyl cellulose binders using tannic acid as a chemical cross-linker. In addition, a dehydrogenation-based prelithiation strategy employing lithium hydride was utilized to enhance the ICE of SiO_x. The combination of these two strategies increased the CE of SiO_x from 74% to 87% and effectively mitigated its volume expansion in the graphite/SiO_x blended electrode, resulting in an efficient electron-conductive binder network. This led to a remarkable capacity retention of 94% after 30 cycles, even under challenging conditions, with a high capacity of 550 mA h g⁻¹ and a current density of 4 mA cm⁻². Furthermore, to validate the feasibility of utilizing prelithiated SiO_x anode materials and the conductive binder network in LIBs, a full cell incorporating these materials and a single-crystalline Ni-rich cathode was used. This cell demonstrated a ∼27.3% increase in discharge capacity of the first cycle (∼185.7 mA h g⁻¹) and exhibited a cycling stability of 300 cycles. Thus, this study reports a simple, feasible, and insightful method for designing high-performance LIB electrodes.