Realizing Sub-5 nm Red Phosphorus Dispersion in a SiO x /C Matrix for Enhanced Lithium Storage.

With high capacity and suitable working plateau, silicon oxide (SiO x ) has become a promising lithium-ion battery (LIB) anode material. However, bare SiO x usually suffers from sluggish electron transport and unsatisfactory cyclability. Composting SiO x with a second phase has become an efficient strategy to tackle the current drawbacks. Herein, a P/SiO x /C ternary composite, featuring sub-5 nm red phosphorus (P) clusters uniformly dispersed in a dense SiO x /C matrix has been constructed through an "inside-out" synthesis strategy. The nanosizing of bulk red P sealed in an organosilica matrix is realized by the high-temperature treatment-driven sublimation/diffusion. With the red P amount of ∼7.53 wt %, the P/SiO x /C ternary composite provides a stable discharge capacity of ∼950 mAh g -1 and also manifests a decent rate capability (510 mAh g -1 at 5 A g -1 ). This study affords a ternary compositing strategy for designing SiO x -based anode materials with desirable electrochemical performance for the next-generation LIBs.