| abstract |
The present invention relates to an electrode for a lithium ion battery, comprising a nanoporous silicon structure, a binder, and a conductive substrate, each defining a plurality of pores. The nanoporous silicon structure is mixed with a binder to form a composition, which is attached to a conductive substrate to form an electrode. The nanoporous silicon can be, for example, nanoporous silicon nanowires formed by etching a silicon wafer or nanoporous silicon, metallurgical grade silicon, silicon nanoparticles, or silicon produced from a silicon precursor in a plasma or chemical vapor deposition process . The nanoporous silicon structure may be coated with or combined with a carbon-containing compound, such as reduced graphene oxide. The electrode has a high specific capacitance (for example, greater than 1000 mAh / g at a current rate of 0.4 A / g, greater than 1000 mAh / g at a current rate of 2.0 A / g, or greater than 1400 mAh / g). |