Electrochemical behavior of a silicon particle anode cell synthesized by an induction furnace

Nano-size Si powder was fabricated via an induction furnace and pulverization from Si-Al alloy. Though the primary Si particles were collected and etched by sulfuric acid, a small amount of Al remained in the powders. The existence of this Al was identified by XRD and EDX. A battery cell, which was synthesized with a Si powder electrode and Li foil as a counter electrode, exhibited improved cyclability and less impedance in comparison to those of a typical pure Si powder electrode cell. This resulted from the role of the Al remaining in the Si powder, which served as a conductive agent. The new method allows for a large amount of micro- or nano-size Si powder with the metal component to be synthesized very easily and inexpensively for Li rechargeable cells.