Zn-MOF-74 and polyacrylonitrile derived Si/C/CNFs flexible composites as anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Various strategies have shown promise for addressing the volume expansion issue of silicon (Si)-based anode materials and enhancing their electrochemical performance, such as nanocrystallization and the use of carbon-encapsulated nano-Si particles. However, the agglomeration of nano-Si particles remains a challenge, limiting their full potential. In this study, Zn-MOF-74 was employed to improve the dispersion of nano-Si powder in a carbon source. Subsequently, polyacrylonitrile was used in an electrospinning process to prepare an effective coating, followed by heat treatment to prepare nitrogen-doped Si/C flexible anode composites. The influence of the coating degree on electrochemical performance was investigated, and the Si/C-MOF-74/CNFs-2 composite prepared with 30.3 wt% nano-Si particles exhibited specific discharge capacities of 1030.1 mAh·g −1 after 150 cycles at 0.1 A·g −1 , 610.8 mAh·g −1 after 300 cycles at 1.0 A·g −1 , and 409.1 mAh·g −1 after 300 cycles at 2.0 A·g −1 .