Scalable synthesis of ant-nest-like bulk porous silicon for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes

Although silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, scalable synthesis of silicon anodes with good cyclability and low electrode swelling remains a significant challenge. Herein, we report a scalable top-down technique to produce ant-nest-like porous silicon from magnesium-silicon alloy. The ant-nest-like porous silicon comprising three-dimensional interconnected silicon nanoligaments and bicontinuous nanopores can prevent pulverization and accommodate volume expansion during cycling resulting in negligible particle-level outward expansion. The carbon-coated porous silicon anode delivers a high capacity of 1,271 mAh g−1 at 2,100 mA g−1 with 90% capacity retention after 1,000 cycles and has a low electrode swelling of 17.8% at a high areal capacity of 5.1 mAh cm−2. The full cell with the prelithiated silicon anode and Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2 cathode boasts a high energy density of 502 Wh Kg−1 and 84% capacity retention after 400 cycles. This work provides insights into the rational design of alloy anodes for high-energy batteries.