Dopamine was used as the carbon precursor to prepare SiO/C composite. Dopamine achieved self-polymerization and covered on the surface of the SiO particles in Tris-buffer, and the SiO/C composites were gained after heat-treating in the tube furnace under Argon. X-ray diffraction ( XRD ) , scanning electron microscope ( SEM ) were used to determine the phases obtained and to observe the morphologies of the composite. The galvanostatic discharge/charge test was carried out to characterize the electrochemical properties of the composite. When the sample of the mixed SiO and dopamine at a weight ratio of 1 : 3, the composite showed the best cycle ability with the discharge capacity of 1362 mAh g−1 in the first cycle, and the initial coulombic efficiency is 55.6%, after 50 cycles, the discharge capacity is 442 mAh g−1. The improved stability of the composite is attributed to carbon-coating forming during heat-treatment process.
