Sulfur-doped silicon oxycarbide by facile pyrolysis process as an outstanding stable performance lithium-ion battery anode

Abstract

Silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) is drawing significant attention as a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries due to its remarkable cycle life and the distinctive Si–O–C hybrid bonding within its structure. However, a notable drawback of SiOC-based electrodes is their poor electrical conductivity. In this study, we synthesized sulfur-doped silicon oxycarbide (S-SiOC) via facile one-pot pyrolysis from a mixture of commercial silicone oil with 1-dodecanethiol. Upon testing the S-SiOC electrode materials, we observed significant attributes, including an outstanding specific capacity (650 mA h g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹), exceptional capacity retention (89.2% after 2000 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹), and substantial potential for high mass loading of active materials (up to 2.2 mg cm⁻²). Sulfur doping led to enhanced diffusivity of lithium ions, as investigated through cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) tests. Consequently, this sulfur-doped silicon oxycarbide, exhibiting excellent electrochemical performance, holds promising potential as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.