Lithium Insertion in SiAg Powders Produced by Mechanical Alloying

The mechanical alloying technique was applied to the Si-Ag system. SiAg powders formed by the mechanical alloying process appear to contain a uniform dispersion of Si in ductile Ag matrix. When the SiAg powders were tested as an anode material in a lithium cell, the cycling stability was significantly improved by limiting the cutoff potential. The SiAg electrode prepared by milling for 50 h showed good cyclability with little fade over the first 50 cycles. It exhibited a stable capacity of ∼280 mAh/g or 1150 mAh/cm 3 , suggesting that the material system is promising as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries.