BCl3 modified tris(dichloromethylsilylethyl)borane as a precursor for SiBCN ceramics applied in lithium-ion battery anodes

Tris(dichloromethylsilylethyl)borane is a compound containing a B–C bond and Cl and H elements. Herein, we propose a novel method to synthesize polyborosilazanes using tris(dichloromethylsilylethyl)borane and boron trichlorosilane as boron sources and hexamethyldisilazane as a nitrogen source. The microstructure and chemical composition of the as-synthesized polyborosilazanes and as-annealed SiBCN ceramics were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy , Raman spectroscopy , scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope methods. The organic precursors were converted entirely into inorganic ceramics at 800 °C, and the ceramic yield of the polyborosilazanes was 88% at 1000 °C. SiBCN ceramics with irregular shapes contained chemical bonds of B–N, Si–N, and Si–C at 1500 °C and retained an amorphous structure below 1600 °C. After the first cycle, the fabricated SiBCN ceramic anodes exhibited a reversible capacity of 261.3 mA h/g, which was 2.6 times that reported in the literature (101 mA h/g). The discharge capacity decreased to 157.6 mA h/g after 30 cycles. The satisfactory electrochemical performance of the resulting SiBCN ceramic anodes can be attributed to the formation of conductive carbon species favoring the transport properties of lithium ion .