First, the viscous flow of LixSi du

First, the viscous flow of LixSi during lithiation/delithiation
could result in morphology changes36. Second, it may take a few
cycles for the native oxide on the surface of each Si particle to become
lithiated and conductive for Li1. We therefore always applied a low
current density in the first few galvanostatic cycles for thorough
activation of nano-Si. After ten CV cycles, the profiles became stable,
meaning that activation is finished (Fig. 4b) and the electrode fully
reacts. This in situ tune-up of morphology during the activation process increases the interparticle conductivity, shorten the Li diffusion
pathway, and therefore improves the kinetics of the nano-Si
anode.