Lithium ion battery anode containing silicon nanowires grown in situ in pores of graphene foam and production process

Abstract

A process for producing an anode layer, comprising: (a) dispersing catalyst metal-coated Si particles, graphene sheets, and an optional blowing agent in a liquid medium to form a graphene/Si dispersion; (b) dispensing and depositing the dispersion onto a supporting substrate to form a wet layer and removing the liquid medium from the wet layer to form a dried layer of graphene/Si mixture material; and (c) exposing the dried layer to a high temperature environment, from 300° C. to 2,000° C., to induce volatile gas molecules from graphene sheets or to activate the blowing agent for producing the graphene foam and, concurrently, to enable a catalyst metal-catalyzed growth of multiple Si nanowires emanated from Si particles as a feed material in pores of the foam to form the anode layer; wherein the Si nanowires have a diameter of 5-100 nm and a length-to-diameter aspect ratio of at least 5.