Abstract

A new SiCx/TiCx electrode material has been synthesized by ball-milling of Ti3SiC2 MAX phase. To demonstrate the possible applications for lithium-ion batteries, the electrochemical properties of the SiCx/TiCx nanocomposite was studied. The results indicate that this new material has a higher specific capacity (170 mAh/g) than those of pure SiC (93 mAh/g), TiC (75 mAh/g), and the mixture of SiC-TiC (122 mAh/g) at current density of 100mA/g for 300 cycles. Furthermore, the SiCx/TiCx nanocomposite has a specific capacity of 110 mAh/g, better than those of artificial graphite (labeled: SAG-R, 26 mAh/g) and mesocarbon microbeads (labeled: MCMB, 21 mAh/g), at current density of 1A/g for 1000 cycles. The enhancement mechanism of the SiCx/TiCx nanostructure has been discussed by the DFT calculation. Further development of this anode material may enable practical applications for long cycling and fast charge-discharge anode in rechargeable batteries.