Carbon materials electrochemical performance

In Chapter 7, the Raman and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) techniques have been used by Sandi to investigate the electronic and structural properties of carbonaceous materials and those of electrodes made from the synthesized carbons. The electrochemical performance of the carbon anodes is compared and related to the electronic and structural features of the SEI layer. 

The electrochemical performance of lithiated carbons depends basically on the electrolyte, the parent carbonaceous material, and the interaction between the two (see also Chapter III, Sec.6). As far as the lithium intercalation process is concerned, interactions with the electrolyte, which limit the suitability of an electrolyte system, will be discussed in Secs. 5.2.2.3,... 

The pores of the silica template can be filled by carbon from a gas or a liquid phase. One may consider an insertion of pyrolytic carbon from the thermal decomposition of propylene or by an aqueous solution of sucrose, which after elimination of water requires a carbonization step at 900°C. The carbon infiltration is followed by the dissolution of silica by HF. The main attribute of template carbons is their well sized pores defined by the wall thickness of the silica matrix. Application of such highly ordered materials allows an exact screening of pores adapted for efficient charging of the electrical double layer. The electrochemical performance of capacitor electrodes prepared from the various template carbons have been determined and are tentatively correlated with their structural and microtextural characteristics. 

EFFECT OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS ON PERFORMANCE OF CARBON-CARBON AND CARBON-Ni OXIDE TYPES OF ELECTROCHEMICAL CAPACITORS WITH ALKALINE ELECTROLYTE... 

In this paper, we report on the preparation of ECP composites based on carbon materials. In parallel with the development of the preparation processes and the electrochemical characterization of composites, we have performed an analysis of the supercapacitor cell design based on ECPs. 

The Li-Ion system was developed to eliminate problems of lithium metal deposition. On charge, lithium metal electrodes deposit moss-like or dendrite-like metallic lithium on the surface of the metal anode. Once such metallic lithium is deposited, the battery is vulnerable to internal shorting, which may cause dangerous thermal run away. The use of carbonaceous material as the anode active material can completely prevent such dangerous phenomenon. Carbon materials can intercalate lithium into their structure (up to LiCe). The intercalation reaction is very reversible and the intercalated carbons have a potential about 50mV from the lithium metal potential. As a result, no lithium metal is found in the Li-Ion cell. The electrochemical reactions at the surface insert the lithium atoms formed at the electrode surface directly into the carbon anode matrix (Li insertion). There is no lithium metal, only lithium ions in the cell (this is the reason why Li-Ion batteries are named). Therefore, carbonaceous material is the key material for Li-Ion batteries. Carbonaceous anode materials are the key to their ever-increasing capacity. No other proposed anode material has proven to perform as well. The carbon materials have demonstrated lower initial irreversible capacities, higher cycle-ability and faster mobility of Li in the solid phase. 

Electrochemical tests in half-cells allow the preliminary assessment of the WUT carbon as well as of the impact of grinding on the electrochemical performance. The data from the chart on the Figure 5 indicate that the material has high reversible capacity (similar to the capacities of the commercial graphites described earlier). 

At the electrochemical performance level, these novel natural graphite-based materials surpass mesophase carbon s characteristics as related to cell/battery safety performance, low irreversible capacity loss, and good rate capability even at high current densities. 

Thus, the electrochemical properties of the individual carbon materials are not so high as to enable their commercial usage in Li-ion batteries. In order to improve the performance, we started making composite materials from two individual carbon ingredients. Figure 1 shows a typical result of electrochemical tests of an electrode made of a blend of graphite and soft carbon treated at 1100°C (Cl 100) in comparison with the discharge curves of the individual constituents. 

Both carbon materials were tested for their initial electrochemical performance in the 2-electrode electrochemical cells with Li metal as a counter electrode. Our findings have shown that with both types of carbon materials, achieving near theoretical reversible capacity upon Li+ deintercalation was possible. Thus, in a typical half cell environment (a CR2016 type coin cell with graphite and Li metal electrodes, a 1M LiPF6,... 

Stable cycling was achieved in the fall 7Ah cells with a composite of spherical natural graphite coated with A1 and then stabilized with a rigid carbon coating of the disordered nature. Further investigation is needed to fally understand the effect of rigid carbon shell on the electrochemical performance of graphite-based composite materials. 

Yoshio, M., Wang, H., Fukuka, K., Hara, Y., and Adachi, Y., Effect of carbon coating on electrochemical performance of treated natural graphite as lithium-ion battery anode material, J. of Electrochem. Soc. (2000) 147 (4) 1245-1250. 

Sandi, G., Joachin, H., Lu, W., Prakash, J., and Tassara, G., Comparison of the electrochemical performance of carbon produced from sepiolite with difference surface characteristics, J. of New Materials for Electrochemical Systems, (2003) 6, 75-80. 

The seven papers in Chapter 6 are focused on cathode materials for lithium and lithium-ion batteries. Carbon is used as a conductive additive in composite electrodes for batteries. The type of carbon and the amount can have a large effect on the electrochemical performance of the electrode. 

In general, the electrochemical performance of carbon materials is basically determined by the electronic properties, and given its interfacial character, by the surface structure and surface chemistry (i.e. surface terminal functional groups or adsorption processes) [1,2]. Such features will affect the electrode kinetics, potential limits, background currents and the interaction with molecules in solution [2]. From the point of view of electroanalysis, the remarkable benefits of CNT-modified electrodes have been widely praised, including low detection limits, increased sensitivity, decreased overpotentials and resistance to surface fouling [5, 9, 11, 17]. 

Section I identified the performance criteria that determine the suitability of a given electrode for an electroanalytical application. We now turn to the question of what aspects of the carbon determine its performance and electrochemical behavior. Since the structure of sp2 carbon materials is more complex than that of pure metals like Pt, there are more structural variables that affect behavior. As a consequence, sp2 carbon can vary widely in conductivity, stability, hardness, porosity, etc., and care must be taken to choose and prepare the carbon material for an electrochemical application. Before discussing particular carbon electrode materials, we first consider which structural variables affect the electrochemical observables discussed in Section II. 

Placing an amperometric device in real samples, e.g. blood, a degradation of electrochemical performance over time occurs due to contamination of the electrode reducing electro chemically accessible reaction sites [67]. Therefore surface modifications or special electrode materials like e.g. carbon are needed and the electrodes have to be covered with functional membranes to ensure full faradaic current. This poses a problem in the production even using special technologies. 

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