Silicon or Germanium Network Structure for Use as an Anode in a Battery
AssigneeUniversity of Limerick
InventorsKevin M. Ryan, Tadhg Kennedy, Emma Mullane
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Abstract
The invention provides process for producing a stable Si or Ge electrode structure comprising cycling a Si or Ge nanowire electrode until a structure of the Si nanowires form a continuous porous network of Si or Ge ligaments.
Claims22
A process for producing a stable Silicon, Si, or Germanium, Ge, or Tin, Sn, electrode structure comprising:
- cycling a Si or Ge or Sn nanostructure electrode until the nanostructure forms a continuous porous network of Si or Ge or Sn ligaments.
An anode for a lithium-ion battery comprising a continuous fibrous network of a lithium-alloying active material, the active material being grown directly from a substrate and the fibrous network being formed by cycling the active material through a process of charging and discharging the active material.
A method for producing tin seeded Silicon or Germanium nanowires grown by solution decomposition comprising:
- evaporating tin onto the surface of stainless steel substrates;
- placing the pre-treated stainless steel substrates in a chamber;
- adding a high boiling point solvent to the chamber;
- heating the chamber to a first temperature;
- applying a vacuum to the chamber;
- purging the chamber with an inert gas and increasing the temperature of the chamber to the reaction temperature;
- and
- injecting a silicon or germanium precursor into the chamber;
- wherein the chemical vapour deposition of the silicon or germanium monomer from the decomposition of the injected silicon or germanium precursor produces tin seeded Silicon or Germanium nanowires via the vapour-liquid solid growth mechanism.
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.