Early studies on anodic properties of lithium intercalated graphite

Abstract

Abstract Early electrochemical studies on lithium intercalated graphite, LiC 6 , which were conducted to establish the anodic properties of these materials in rechargeable lithium cells are reported. Two types of electrochemical cells, a group of cells at high temperature and another group at ambient temperature, were utilized in these studies. The electrode potential of LiC 6 against a pure lithium reference electrode was in the range of 30–35 mV. The cell voltage of LiC 6 /Li + /NbSe 3 cells at ambient temperature was 2.770 V. The cycling characteristics and reversibility of the LiC 6 electrode were also excellent. These studies established that lithium intercalated graphite is capable of performing well as an anode in rechargeable lithium cells replacing pure elemental lithium with a negligible loss of cell voltage. Photoemission studies conducted earlier on LiC 6 indicated that lithium exists predominantly as lithium ions in this material which helps to avoid the formation of highly reactive elemental lithium at the anode/electrolyte interface during the recharging process.