A unique intricate hollow Si nanocomposite designed for lithium storage

Highlights: • A unique intricate hollow Si nanocomposite has been designed. • This Si/C/void/SiO₂/C is a unique nanostructure as anode materials for LIBs. • This structure delivers significantly improved cyclability. With its high theoretical capacity, Si has attracted great attention as an ideal anode material for the realization of Li-ion batteries with high energy density. The huge volume expansion and significant capacity fading of Si electrode are the biggest problems hindering its actual use. In this paper, an intricate hollow Si nanocomposite is designed involving two carbon layers, one void space, and one SiO₂ layer as an electrode material to resolve the two issues mentioned above. The two carbon layers can increase the electric conductivity of the electrode. Besides, the void space and SiO₂ layer in the Si/C/void/SiO₂/C composite can provide multiple guarantees for the preservation of whole structure of the electrode. As a result, this novel structure can deliver a capacity of 900 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g⁻¹.