Controllable Synthesis of Carbon-Coated SiOx Particles through a Simultaneous Reaction between the Hydrolysis–Condensation of Tetramethyl Orthosilicate and the Polymerization of 3-Aminophenol

Core–shell particles are desirable for many applications, but the precise design and control of their structure remains a great challenge. In this work, we developed a strategy to fabricate carbon-coated SiO x (SiO x @C) core–shell particles via a sol–gel method using the simultaneous hydrolysis–condensation of tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS), the polymerization of 3-aminophenol and formaldehyde in the presence of ammonia as a basic catalyst, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as a cationic surfactant in the mixed solution of water and methanol followed by the carbonization process. Results from this study provide new insight into the design of core–shell particles by using TMOS as an effective silica precursor for the first time with a well-controlled reaction rate and spherical morphology. To obtain an in-depth understanding of the formation of core–shell structure, a possible mechanism is also proposed in this article. When tested as an anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), the obtained SiO x @C particles delivered a reversible capacity of 509.2 mAh g –1 at a current density of 100 mA g –1 . This electrochemical performance is significantly better than those of similar composites without the core–shell structure. The capacity retention after 100 cycles was approximately 80%. These results suggest great promise for the proposed SiO x @C particles with core–shell structure, which may have potential applications in the improvement of various energy-storage materials.