The structural stability of the electrode material during the charge-discharge cycle has a vital influence on the battery's capacity, rate, and cycle life. Researchers of Xi'an Jiaotong University have made new progress in the structure design of lithium-ion battery electrode materials

　　The electrode material will be accompanied by volume expansion/shrinkage during the process of lithium insertion/desorption, and this volume effect often causes the material to break and fail. Therefore, the structural stability of the electrode material during the charge-discharge cycle has a vital impact on the battery's capacity, rate, and cycle life.

　　Based on the phenomenon that silicon dioxide (SiO2) as a filler can improve the mechanical properties of composite materials, the research team of Professor Wang Hongkang from the Qianren Niu Chunming team of the School of Electrical Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University designed and successfully prepared a SiO2-reinforced porous Sb/C fiber composite material . The silicon source (ethyl silicate), antimony source (antimony trichloride) and carbon source (polyvinylpyrrolidone) are prepared into a fiber structure by electrospinning, and then a porous carbon fiber coated with SiO2 and Sb nanometers is formed through heat treatment in one step. The unique structure of the particles.

　　The introduction of 　　SiO2 greatly enhances the overall structural stability of the fiber. As a negative electrode material for lithium ion batteries, the obtained SiO2/Sb/C porous fiber electrode shows excellent electrochemical performance in both half-cell and full-cell tests. Carbon fiber not only improves the conductivity of the electrode material, but its porous structure effectively absorbs the volume change of SiO2 and Sb during the lithium insertion/desorption process. Characterization by in-situ and ex-situ electron microscopy further reveals the structural stability of the material in the process of lithium insertion/desorption.