Pseudocapacitive charge storage at nanoscale silicon electrodes

McSweeney, William; Geaney, Hugh; Glynn, Colm; McNulty, David; O'Dwyer, Colm

Pseudocapacitive charge storage at nanoscale silicon electrodes

Files

ECS227_Chicago-SiPseudocap.pdf(1.05 MB)

Accepted version

Date

2015-05

Authors

McSweeney, William

Geaney, Hugh

Glynn, Colm

McNulty, David

O'Dwyer, Colm

Publisher

Electrochemical Society

Published Version

10.1149/06606.0039ecst

Abstract

Pseudocapacitive behaviour can be accessed when Si nanowire (NW) electrodes are scanned at relatively fast potential scan rates in Li-ion battery electrolytes. Measurements using cyclic voltammetry supported by electron microscopy confirm that Si NWs formed on silicon substrates, as opposed to metallic current collectors, do not solely undergo alloying reactions. The influence of doping type, carrier concentration and bias condition during voltammetric polarization significantly alters the mechanism of electrochemical energy storage. The formation of a carrier depleted (electrically dead) layer of n-type NWs on silicon current collector electrodes limits insertion or alloying processes and rates that ordinarily form Li-Si phases, and charge is also stored within the electric double layer via pseudocapacitive processes. P-type NWs with solid crystalline cores also exhibit pseudocapacitive charge storage without structural modification of the NWs.

Keywords

Silicon , Electric double layer , Electrochemical energy storage , Li-ion battery electrolytes , Potential scan rates , Silicon electrode , Silicon substrates , Solid crystalline , Structural modifications , Alloying , Carrier concentration , Cyclic voltammetry , Electric current collectors , Electrodes , Lithium-ion batteries , Nanowires , Semiconductor doping

Citation

McSweeney, W., Geaney, H., Glynn, C., McNulty, D. and O'Dwyer, C. (2015) 'Pseudocapacitive Charge Storage at Nanoscale Silicon Electrodes', ECS Transactions, 66(6), pp. 39-48. doi: 10.1149/06606.0039ecst