Silicon based materials for and methods of making and using same

1. An electrochemically active material comprising:

(i) elemental silicon; and

(ii) a transition metal selected from Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, and W;

wherein at least 50 mole % of the transition metal is present in its elemental state, based on the total number of moles of transition metal elements present in the electrochemically active material.

2. The electrochemically active material according to claim 1 , further comprising carbon, wherein at least 50 mole % of the carbon is present in its elemental state, based on the total number of moles of carbon present in the electrochemically active material.

3. The electrochemically active material according to claim 1 , wherein the electrochemically active material does not comprise carbon.

4. The electrochemically active material according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more transition metal elements comprise iron.

5. The electrochemically active material according to claim 1 , wherein any electrochemically active or electrochemically inactive phases present in the electrochemically active material are be distributed substantially homogeneously throughout the electrochemically active material.

6. The electrochemically active material according to claim 1 , wherein the Scherrer grain size of each phase of the electrochemically active material is 50 nanometers or less.

7. The electrochemically active material according to claim 1 , wherein the electrochemically active material comprises a silicon alloy material.

8. An electrode composition comprising:

the electrochemically active material according to claim 1 ; and

a binder.

9. An electrode composition according to claim 8 , further comprising graphite.

10. A negative electrode comprising:

the electrode composition according to claim 1 ; and

a current collector.

11. An electrochemical cell comprising:

the negative electrode of claim 10 ;

a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode composition comprising lithium; and

an electrolyte comprising lithium.

12. An electronic device comprising the electrochemical cell according to claim 11 .

13. A method of making an electrochemical cell, the method comprising:

providing a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode composition comprising lithium;

providing a negative electrode according to claim 10 ;

providing an electrolyte comprising lithium; and

incorporating the positive electrode, negative electrode, and the electrolyte into an electrochemical cell.

14. A method of making an electrochemically active material according to claim 1 , the method comprising:

with a lithium-silicon alloy and one or more transition metal elements selected from Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, and W, forming a lithium-containing alloy; and

removing lithium from the lithium-containing alloy so as to give rise to an electrochemically active material according to claim 1 .

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein removing the lithium from the lithium-containing alloy comprises exposing the lithium-containing alloy to an alcohol.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the lithium-containing alloy is formed from (i) the lithium-silicon alloy, (ii) the one or more transition metal elements selected from Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Y, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta, and W, and (iii) carbon, and wherein the electrochemically active material further comprises carbon, with at least 50 mole % of the carbon being present in its elemental state, based on the total number of moles of carbon present in the electrochemically active material.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein removing the lithium from the lithium-containing alloy comprises exposing the lithium-containing alloy to an alcohol.