Abstract: Electrical energy storage device (22) comprising an anode (24), a cathode (26) and electrolyte (28), whereby the anode (24) comprises particles (10, 20, 30, 40) comprising an amorphous and/or crystalline silicon-based core (12), a continuous or non-continuous first carbon-containing shell (14, 14a), and a continuous or non-continuous second carbon-containing shell (16, 16a). The second carbon-containing shell (16, 16a) has a higher density and/or a higher atomic percentage of carbon than the first carbon-containing shell (14, 16a).

Abstract: Electrode (24) for an electrical energy storage device, which electrode (24) comprises an electrode active material layer (10) containing a plurality of particles of modified electrode active material comprising amorphous or crystalline, micro- or nano-sized stoichiometric or non-stochiometric silicon nitride each having a chemical formula of SiNx whereby 0 to 30% of said particles (12) contain one or more modifying elements selected from the group: phosphorus (P), boron (B), carbon (C), oxygen (O), sulphur (S), selenium (Se), arsenic (As), tin (Sn), magnesium (Mg), aluminium (Al), iron (Fe), germanium (Ge) or antimony (Sb), and arranged in a conductive electrode matrix (14) so as to exhibit at least one of the following: a) a chemical composition gradient, whereby the nitrogen content within the particles (12) increases or decreases with distance from a surface (16) of the electrode active material layer (10), and/or b) a particle size gradient, whereby the average particle size of the particles of modified

Abstract: Method for producing a powder comprising particles (26) comprising amorphous, micro- or nano-crystalline Silicon nitride. The method comprises the steps of supplying a reactant gas (12) containing Silicon, and a reactant gas (12) containing Nitrogen, to a reaction chamber (16) of a reactor (10), and heating said reactant gases (12) to a temperature in the range of 510° C. to 1300° C. which is sufficient for thermal decomposition or reduction of the reactant gases (12) to take place inside the reaction chamber (16) to thereby produce a powder of amorphous, micro- or nano-crystalline particles (26) comprising Silicon nitride (SiNx) in which the atomic ratio of Silicon to Nitrogen is in the range 1:0.2 to 1:0.9. The produced powder of particles (26) may be used to produce a film, an electrode, such as an anode, for a battery, such as a Lithium ion battery.