Patent ID: 8367244

Claim:
A method for forming an anode structure having a metal-semiconductor alloy layer, comprising the steps of: obtaining a particulate anode material comprising a silicon or silicon alloy semiconductor material; contacting the particulate anode material with a solution comprising metal ions and a dissolution component; dissolving a part of the semiconductor material from the particulate anode material; reducing the metal ions in the solution to the metal with electrons provided by the dissolution of the semiconductor material into the solution; depositing the reduced metal on the particulate anode material to form a deposited reduced metal layer having a thickness of about 100 nanometers to about 3 micrometers; annealing the particulate anode material to form a metal-semiconductor layer on the particulate anode material, the metal-semiconductor layer comprising an alloy of the reduced metal and the silicon or silicon alloy semiconductor material and having a thickness of about 100 nanometers to about 3 micrometers; shaping the particulate anode material into an anode structure; and sintering the anode structure to agglomerate the particulate anode material and form a sintered anode structure having a metal-semiconductor alloy layer.