Electrospun three-dimensional mesoporous silicon nanofibers as an anode material for high-performance lithium secondary batteries

Mesoporous silicon nanofibers (m-SiNFs) have been fabricated using a simple and scalable method via electrospinning and reduction with magnesium. The prepared m-SiNFs have a unique structure in which clusters of the primary Si nanoparticles interconnect to form a secondary three-dimensional mesoporous structure. Although only a few nanosized primary Si particles lead to faster electronic and Li⁺ ion diffusion compared to tens of nanosized Si, the secondary nanofiber structure (a few micrometers in length) results in the uniform distribution of the nanoparticles, allowing for the easy fabrication of electrodes. Moreover, these m-SiNFs exhibit impressive electrochemical characteristics when used as the anode materials in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). These include a high reversible capacity of 2846.7 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g^-1, a stable capacity retention of 89.4% at a 1 C rate (2 A g^-1) for 100 cycles, and a rate capability of 1214.0 mAh g^-1 (at 18 C rate for a discharge time of ∼3 min).