Chemical anchoring of Ag nanoparticles to Si surfaces and its application in lithium ion batteries

Silver nanoparticles were chemically anchored to the surface of Si nanoparticles via 4-carboxyphenyl group through wet chemical methods for the first time. The resulting Si-PhCOO-Ag nanocomposite delivered reversible capacities of 804.6 (50th) and 393 mAh g ^-1 at the current density of 300 and 3000 mA g ^-1, respectively, which were much higher than those of a mixture of Si and silver nanoparticles. The improved performance of Si-PhCOO-Ag nanocomposite was attributed to the stable electrical contact between Si and Ag nanoparticles in the process of lithiation and delithiation. The present finding provides an alternative method to fabricate Si-based nanocomposite for lithium ion batteries.