Encapsulating Si nanoparticles in multi-shell hollow spheres: An effective approach to boost the cyclability

Silicon is an appealing lithium-ion battery anode material; unfortunately, it confronted with unsatisfactory cyclability owing to its large volume change. Herein, we design a unique ternary composite material (Si/Cr2O3/C), where the Si nanoparticles are confined in carbon-coated chromium oxide multi-shell hollow spheres (MSHSs). Encapsulating MSHSs effectively boosts available free space for change buffering and ideal structural stability of Cr2O3/C hybrid matrix. The rationally designed Si/Cr2O3/C demonstrates not only high reversible capacity (1351 mA h g?1 at 100 g?1) but also stable cycling (716 after 300 cycles 500 g?1). This contribution proposes novel structure solve poor problem Si-based materials.