High performance lithium battery anode materials by coating SiO2 nanowire arrays with PEO

SiO2 has attracted much attention as an anode electrode material for lithium ion batteries. However, its lower conductivity and electrochemical kinetics hinder its further development. In this paper, a simple method was developed to prepare a composite of soft PEO film coated amorphous SiO2 nanowire arrays. The presence of the PEO film improves the electrical conductivity of the electrode material, prevents direct contact of the active material with the electrolyte, and also plays a better role in lessening the volume expansion of the electrode during charging and discharging. The electrochemical results further confirmed that the cycle had a high reversible capacity of 1225 mA h g−1 after cycling for about 200 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g−1 compared to the amorphous pure SiO2 nanowire arrays, and the Coulombic efficiency was maintained at 96%. In addition, excellent rate performance was demonstrated to achieve a capacity of 360 mA h g−1 at a high current density of 2500 mA g−1. It provides the corresponding guidance for ameliorating the energy storage performance of low-conductivity oxide-based electrode materials.