ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the use of coated Silicon Nanowires (SiNWs) in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). It provides the use of Si nanostructures for Li-ion technology, in particular surface-coated nanostructures-an approach found to be highly beneficial for reversible and high-efficiency cycling of silicon. The chapter also discusses some of the techniques for the fabrication of coated SiNWs and nanotubes. It describes the method for the production of SiNWs: Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), template-assisted CVD, vapor-liquid-solid growth, metal-assisted chemical etching and inductively coupled plasma etching. The chapter summarizes the methods often used for coating SiNWs. Magnetron sputtering is a physical vapor deposition (PVD) method and is frequently used to apply metallic or nonmetallic coatings to SiNWs for LIB anodes. Electroless plating is a technique that provides another possibility for the coating of silicon NWs with metals. For the coating of SiNWs by carbon, carbonization can be employed. This method belongs to the group of thermolysis, which is the chemical decomposition at elevated temperatures.
