Beyond Thin Films: Clarifying the Impact of -LiSi Formation in Thin Film, Nanoparticle, and Porous Si Electrodes.

The formation of the -LiSi phase has well-established detrimental effects on the capacity retention of thin film silicon electrodes. However, the role of this crystalline phase with respect to the loss of capacity is somewhat ambiguous in nanoscale morphologies. In this work, three silicon-based morphologies are examined, including planar films, porous planar films, and silicon nanoparticle composite powder electrodes.