Anodic Properties of Needle Cokes-derived Graphitic Materials in Lithium Secondary Batteries

Abstract

Two needle cokes (NC-A and NC-B) that differ in both the texture and impurity content to each other were graphitized at , and the average particle size, size distribution and surface area were compared after milling. Their anodic properties in Li secondary batteries were also analyzed. Two materials showed a higher degree of graphitization with an increase in the preparation temperature, however, the NC-B series was less graphitized than NC-A due to the presence of impurities and less ordered mosaic texture. The mein particle size of the milled powder was proportional to the degree of graphitization, but the surface area showed the opposite trend. The highly graphitized materials yielded powders of lower uniformity in the size distribution. The discharge capacity of the resulting carbons steadily decreased in the temperature range of 1000 to due to the depletion of carbonaceous interlayers that contain crystal defects. A later increase in the discharge capacity was observed at $>2000^{\circ}C$, which arises from the formation of graphitic interlayers. The milling process gave rise to a sloping discharge curve at >1.0 V, but this was converted to a plateau at . The discharge at >1.0V likely comes from the disordered surface structure formed during the milling process. The evolution of a plateau at