Anode Material for Electrochemical Devices and Manufacturing Method Thereof

Si/SiOx Anode Material Embedded in Hard Carbon via Hydrothermal Synthesis of Silane Polymers and Reduction Heat Treatment

This technology involves the hydrothermal synthesis of silane-functionalized polymers and carbon precursors, followed by heat treatment in a reducing atmosphere to produce an anode active material with Si/SiOx composites uniformly dispersed within a hard carbon matrix.

Silicon anode materials face challenges due to volume expansion of over 300% during charge and discharge cycles, leading to mechanical stress and particle degradation. This results in loss of electrical contact and high initial irreversible capacity.

This technology creates a hard carbon matrix by hydrothermally reacting silane-functionalized polymers, such as aminosilane, with carbon precursors at 80–200°C, followed by heat treatment in a reducing atmosphere to form a C-Si/SiOx composite. The hard carbon framework absorbs silicon expansion, ensuring structural stability. Applicable to high-capacity silicon-carbon composite anodes, fast-charging EV cells, and lithium-ion capacitors, this method combines silicon and carbon sources in a single hydrothermal process, reducing manufacturing steps.

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Key Features:

• Mixing a silane-functionalized polymer and a carbon precursor in a hydrothermal reactor
• Hydrothermally reacting the mixture at 80°C to 200°C for 1 to 10 hours
• Heat-treating in a reducing atmosphere to obtain an anode material where hard carbon and Si/SiOx composites are bonded
• Silane-functionalized polymer selected from aminosilane, tetraethoxysilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, or triethoxycaprylylsilane

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This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning for the development of multifunctional next-generation lithium secondary battery materials with custom-designed nano-level composite structures.

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