Invited Talks: Transition Metal Oxides - University Blog Service - The ...

The John B. Goodenough Symposium in Materials Science & Engineering –
In Honor of His 90 th Birthday
The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
October 26-27, 2012
Electrodeposition of Amorphous Silicon Anode for Lithium Ion Batteries
Rigved Epur a , Madhumati Ramanathan b , Faith R. Beck a,c ,
A. Manivannan c and Prashant N. Kumta a,b,d,†
aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Pittsburgh,
Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
bDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
cUS Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory, Morgantown, WV 26507, USA
dDepartment of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261,
USA
Email: pkumta@pitt.edu, manivana@netl.doe.gov
Amorphous silicon has been successfully electrodeposited on copper using a SiCl4 based organic
electrolyte under galvanostatic conditions. The electrodeposited silicon films were characterized for their
composition, morphology and structural characteristics using glancing angle x-ray diffraction (GAXRD),
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy. GAXRD and Raman analyses clearly
confirm the amorphous state of the deposited silicon film. The deposited films were tested for possible
application as anodes for Li-ion battery. The results indicate that this binder less amorphous silicon anode
exhibits a reversible capacity of ~1300 mAh g -1 with a columbic efficiency of > 99.5% up to 100 cycles.
Impedance measurements at the end of each charge cycle show a non-variable charge transfer resistance
which contributes to the excellent cyclability over 100 cycles observed for the films. This approach of
developing thin amorphous silicon films directly on copper eliminates the use of binders and conducting
additives, rendering the process simple, facile and easily amenable for large scale manufacturing.