A porous silicon–carbon anode with high overall capacity on carbon fiber current collector

A porous silicon–carbon anode on a lightweight carbon fiber current collector is reported here for lithium-ion batteries. This Si–C anode was synthesized through a one-step carbonization of a Si-poly(acrylonitrile-co-methyl acrylate) precursor, which was directly deposited on a carbon fiber mat. The carbon fiber curent collector allows higher loading of active materials, resulting in high energy to mass and area ratios. The obtained Si–C electrode demonstrated superior overall capacity, cyclability, and rate capacity.