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Facile Modulation of Nitrogen-Rich Hard Carbon Shells on Si-Expanded Graphite for High-Performance Lithium Storage.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Facile Modulation of Nitrogen-Rich Hard Carbon Shells on Si-Expanded Graphite for High-Performance Lithium Storage.
Authors:	Xiong, Shanxin¹ (AUTHOR) xiongsx@xust.edu.cn, Zheng, Zijing¹ (AUTHOR), Zhang, Yukun¹ (AUTHOR), Fang, Ke¹ (AUTHOR), Zhang, Shuai¹ (AUTHOR), Duan, Qingyong¹ (AUTHOR), Lu, Hepeng¹ (AUTHOR), Wang, Xiaoqin¹ (AUTHOR), Li, Jinhang¹ (AUTHOR)
Source:	Journal of Electronic Materials. Apr2026, Vol. 55 Issue 4, p3389-3401. 13p.
Subjects:	Lithium-ion batteries, Negative electrode, Energy storage, Carbon-based materials
Abstract:	Silicon offers a high theoretical capacity, low operating voltage, and abundant reserves, making it a promising anode. Yet, its significant volume expansion during cycling remains a major barrier to practical use. Here, expanded graphite acts as an elastic scaffold coupled with a flexible N-rich carbon shell to integrate buffering, conductivity, and lithium storage. Through wet ball-milling, submicron silicon was uniformly dispersed within expanded graphite to form a conductive scaffold. Simultaneously, a phenolic/melamine-resorcinol-formaldehyde (MRF) hybrid resin was generated via liquid-phase in situ polymerization. Subsequently, pyrolysis of this resin yielded nitrogen-doped silicon/carbon composites (designated Si/EGMHC), in which the silicon particles are embedded within a nitrogen-rich hard-carbon layer. The nitrogen-doped carbon shell effectively isolates silicon nanoparticles from the electrolyte, while the low-graphitization hard carbon layer, possessing appreciable mechanical flexibility, helps alleviate stress concentration induced by the volumetric expansion of silicon particles. In addition, the nitrogen-doped carbon shell surface possesses more active sites, and these characteristics significantly enhance the lithium storage capacity of silicon particles. The prepared Si/EGMHC-0.5–3 exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance (991 mAh·g−1 after 100 cycles at the current density of 0.1 A·g−1) when used as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. This study provides a simple, economical, and feasible process strategy for the preparation of silicon-based anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Engineering Source

Description
Abstract:	Silicon offers a high theoretical capacity, low operating voltage, and abundant reserves, making it a promising anode. Yet, its significant volume expansion during cycling remains a major barrier to practical use. Here, expanded graphite acts as an elastic scaffold coupled with a flexible N-rich carbon shell to integrate buffering, conductivity, and lithium storage. Through wet ball-milling, submicron silicon was uniformly dispersed within expanded graphite to form a conductive scaffold. Simultaneously, a phenolic/melamine-resorcinol-formaldehyde (MRF) hybrid resin was generated via liquid-phase in situ polymerization. Subsequently, pyrolysis of this resin yielded nitrogen-doped silicon/carbon composites (designated Si/EGMHC), in which the silicon particles are embedded within a nitrogen-rich hard-carbon layer. The nitrogen-doped carbon shell effectively isolates silicon nanoparticles from the electrolyte, while the low-graphitization hard carbon layer, possessing appreciable mechanical flexibility, helps alleviate stress concentration induced by the volumetric expansion of silicon particles. In addition, the nitrogen-doped carbon shell surface possesses more active sites, and these characteristics significantly enhance the lithium storage capacity of silicon particles. The prepared Si/EGMHC-0.5–3 exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance (991 mAh·g−1 after 100 cycles at the current density of 0.1 A·g−1) when used as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. This study provides a simple, economical, and feasible process strategy for the preparation of silicon-based anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	03615235
DOI:	10.1007/s11664-026-12719-y