Stoichiometry-Controlled Reversible Lithiation Capacity in Nanostructured Silicon Nitrides Enabled by Conversion Reaction.

In modern Li-based batteries, alloying anode materials have the potential to drastically improve the volumetric and specific energy storage capacity. For the past decade silicon has been viewed as a "Holy Grail" among these materials; however, severe stability issues limit its potential. Herein, we present amorphous substoichiometric silicon nitride (SiN) as a convertible anode material, which allows overcoming the stability challenges associated with common alloying materials.