A Si-SnSb/pyrolytic PAN composite anode for lithium-ion batteries

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) powders are introduced as carbon sources to prepare Si-SnSb alloy based on carbothermal method. Then the as-prepared alloy was mixed with pyrolytic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) to synthesize a composite anode of Si-SnSb/ pyrolytic polyacrylonitrile (PAN) with the pyrolysis of PAN at 400 °C and 600 °C. The material exhibits a high-specific capacity and a good-cycling stability due to its multiphase characteristics. The Si-SnSb blended with PAN pyrolyzed at 600 °C shows better electrochemical performance, its initial Coulombic efficiency is 62.6%, and the specific capacity is 658.4 mAh g⁻¹ after the 10th cycle. The pyrolytic PAN improves the performance of the Si-SnSb alloy by means of dispersing the alloy efficiently, and the pyrolytic PAN enhances the performance of the pure alloy simultaneously.