Process for silicon nanowire-graphene hybrid mat

A process for producing a graphene-silicon nanowire hybrid porous mat, said process comprising:

• (a) preparing a porous mat comprising silicon particles, graphite flakes or graphene sheets, an optional binder, and an optional conductive additive wherein said silicon particles have a particle diameter from 0.2 μm to 20 μm;
• (b) optionally drying said porous mat
• (c) coating said porous mat with a catalyst metal or catalyst-metal-precursor, creating a catalyst metal-containing porous mat
• (d) exposing said catalyst metal-containing porous mat to a high temperature environment from 300° C. to 2,000° C. to enable a catalytic metal-catalyzed growth of multiple silicon nanowires from said silicon particles as a feed material to form said graphene-silicon nanowire hybrid material porous mat;
• wherein said silicon nanowires have a diameter less than 100 nm and a length-to-diameter aspect ratio of at least 5.

A process for producing a graphene-silicon nanowire hybrid material composition, said process comprising:

• (a) preparing a catalyst metal-coated mixture mass, which includes mixing graphene sheets, having a thickness from 0.34 nm to 100 nm, with micron or sub-micron scaled silicon particles, having a particle diameter from 0.2 μm to 20 μm, to form a mixture and depositing a catalytic metal, in the form of nano particles having a size from 0.5 nm to 100 nm or a coating having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 nm, onto surfaces of said graphene sheets and/or surfaces of said silicon particles, wherein said graphene sheets are selected from the group consisting of graphene chloride, hydrogenated graphene, and combinations thereof and said silicon particles contain pure silicon having at least 99.9% by weight of silicon element or a silicon alloy or mixture having from 70% to 99.9% by weight of silicon therein;
• and
• (b) exposing said catalyst metal-coated mixture mass to a high temperature environment, from 300° C. to 2,000° C., to enable a catalytic metal-catalyzed growth of multiple silicon nanowires from said silicon particles as a feed material to form said graphene-silicon nanowire hybrid material composition;
• wherein said silicon nanowires have a diameter less than 100 nm and a length-to-diameter aspect ratio of at least 5.