Anode material having a uniform metal-semiconductor alloy layer

A method for forming an anode structure having a metal-semiconductor alloy layer, comprising the steps of:

• obtaining a particulate anode material comprising a silicon or silicon alloy semiconductor material;
• contacting the particulate anode material with a solution comprising metal ions and a dissolution component;
• dissolving a part of the semiconductor material from the particulate anode material;
• reducing the metal ions in the solution to the metal with electrons provided by the dissolution of the semiconductor material into the solution;
• depositing the reduced metal on the particulate anode material to form a deposited reduced metal layer having a thickness of about 100 nanometers to about 3 micrometers;
• annealing the particulate anode material to form a metal-semiconductor layer on the particulate anode material, the metal-semiconductor layer comprising an alloy of the reduced metal and the silicon or silicon alloy semiconductor material and having a thickness of about 100 nanometers to about 3 micrometers;
• shaping the particulate anode material into an anode structure;
• and
• sintering the anode structure to agglomerate the particulate anode material and form a sintered anode structure having a metal-semiconductor alloy layer.