Dynamic Co-calcination Enhances the Industrial Application of Si–C/Graphite Composites with Uniform Strain Distribution

The exploration of cost-effective and scalable methods to fabricate Si anodes with high capacity and cycle stability is crucial for advancing their practical applications. Si/graphite composites have emerged as one of the most promising candidates for commercialization. Various manufacturers use different techniques such as ball milling, chemical vapor deposition, sol–gel, spray drying, among others, to compound Si and graphite, but there is no standardized approach yet. This study investigates inexpensive and efficient preparation methods based on the commercialization of silicon–carbon composites (Si/C). This approach differs from the conventional tubular furnace calcination utilized in most studies. Dynamic co-calcination enables Si/C mixtures to be stirred and heated simultaneously, ensuring uniform dispersion of Si particles on the graphite substrate. As a result, the material can absorb or discharge volume strain effectively, thereby maintaining excellent structural and electrochemical stability. The Si/graphite material generated via this dynamic method exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 553.6 mA h g–1 at 0.3 A g–1 and retains 85.2% of its capacity after 300 cycles. To assess its commercial viability, we fabricated a pouch cell with NCM11 and discovered that the soft pack battery retained 71% of its capacity after 50 cycles. This approach presents a promising prospect for the commercial use of Si/C composites.