Achieving Highly Reproducible Results in Graphite-Based Li-Ion Full Coin Cells

Abstract

Electrode materials, cathodes or anodes, are mostly evaluated in half coin cells where lithium (Li) metal is used. However, due to the Li metal’s unstable nature, the cycling performances are more likely reflecting Li anode stability instead of the coupled electrodes, questioning the conclusions. Full coin cells utilizing graphite as the anode effectively assesses materials. However, the critical factors of preparing full coin cells with reproducible performances have rarely been discussed and overlooked, leading to many inconsistent results. This work discusses the scientific gap between cell preparation and observed electrochemical performances to unveil the key parameters for achieving consistent and reliable results in full coin cells, critical for effective evaluation of any new materials tested under relevant conditions. The knowledge from this work is broadly applicable in other full cell systems such as Si-based full cells or Na-ion batteries.