Abstract
The structure and electrochemistry in lithium cells of sputtered thin films and ball milled alloys in the Cu-Si system (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.60 in CuxSi1−x) were investigated. Both thin films and ball milled Cu-Si alloys showed the co-existence of amorphous Si and a nanocrystalline Cu3Si phase. The lithiation potential of Cu-Si alloys was found to be significantly shifted to potentials below that of pure Si. In addition, the Cu3Si phase was found to be involved in the electrochemical reaction of the alloys with lithium, however not all of the Si could be reacted with Li to its full theoretical extent. This suggests that a ternary Cu-Li-Si phase may be formed at full lithiation of these alloys.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | A1275-A1279 |
| Journal | Journal of the Electrochemical Society |
| Volume | 163 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2016 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors acknowledge funding from NSERC and 3M Canada, Co. under the auspices of the Industrial Research Chair and Discovery grant programs. We also acknowledge the support of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Atlantic Innovation Fund and other partners that fund the Facilities for Materials Characterization managed by the Institute for Research in Materials. Zhijia Du acknowledges financial support from the Killam Trusts.