Electrochemical performances of silicon electrode with silver additives

Nanosized silver particles were uniformly distributed on the surface of silicon particles by electroless deposition (ED) and high-energy mechanical milling (HEMM) methods, respectively. The HEMM-prepared Si/Ag composite with 10 wt.% silver exhibited a high first coulombic efficiency of 83.4% and a large capacity of ca. 800 mA h g− 1 over 30 cycles as a result of conductivity enhancement. It was suggested that electric contact between silicon particles played a significant role in improving the cyclability of silicon electrode.