Beyond Thin Films: Clarifying the Impact of <i>c</i> -Li ₁₅ Si ₄ Formation in Thin Film, Nanoparticle, and Porous Si Electrodes

The formation of the c -Li 15 Si 4 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. The cycling conditions are used as the lever to induce, or not induce, the formation of c -Li 15 Si 4 through application of constant-current (CC) or constant-current constant-voltage (CCCV) steps. In this manner, the role of this phase on capacity retention and Coulombic efficiency can be determined with few other convoluting factors such as alteration of the composition or morphology of the silicon electrodes themselves. The results here confirm that the c -Li 15 Si 4 phase increases the rate of capacity decay in planar films but has no major effect on capacity retention in half-cells based on porous silicon films or silicon nanoparticle composite powder electrodes, although this conclusion is nuanced. Besides using a constant-voltage step, formation of the c -Li 15 Si 4 phase is influenced by the dimensions of the Si material and the lithiation cutoff voltage. Porous Si films, which, in this work, comprise primary Si particle sizes that are smaller than those in the preformed Si nanoparticle slurries, do not undergo the formation of c -Li 15 Si 4 at 50 mV, whereas Si nanoparticle slurries are accompanied by the formation of c -Li 15 Si 4 up to 80 mV. The solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed from reaction of the c -Li 15 Si 4 with the carbonate-based electrolyte causes polarization in both nanoparticle and porous film silicon electrodes and lowers the average Coulombic efficiency. A comparison of the cumulative irreversibilities due to SEI formation between different lithiation cutoff voltages in silicon nanoparticle slurry electrodes confirmed the connection between higher SEI buildup and formation of the c -Li 15 Si 4 phase. This work indicates that concerns about the c -Li 15 Si 4 phase in silicon nanoparticles and porous silicon electrodes should mainly focus on the stability of the SEI and a reduction of irreversible electrolyte reactions.