Application of Graphene-Based Electrodes in Lithium-Ion Battery

The recent widespread of electric (EVs) and hybrid vehicles (HEVs), with the final goal of reducing the greenhouse gas emission and atmosphere pollution, required efficient and clean power sources. Due to their high energy density, lithium-ion batteries are an ideal candidate as side system to store energy from renewable sources and power electric vehicles¹. Although appropriate for the consumer electronic market, the present lithium-ion battery technology is still inadequate for the electric motion. The large diffusion of LIBs is still prevented by issues, including poor safety, high cost, restrict operating temperature range and materials availability. Improvements in energy density and safety, as well as reduction in cost, are mandatory steps to meet the EVs and HEVs severe targets². Among the issues of LIBs technology, low theoretical capacity of the graphite anode, i.e. 372 mAh g^-1, represents a limiting parameter. Indeed, great attention is now focusing on the study of alternative anode material such as Sn (994 mAh g^-1), Si (4200 mAh g^-1) or SnO₂ (782 mAh g^-1), however their application is still limited by the large volume changes upon lithium alloying-de-alloying processes. Recently, the suitability of the graphene as negative electrode in replacement of the commercial graphite anode has been demonstrated. Graphene-based electrodes have the possibility to accommodate increased amount of Li-ions in respect to common graphite³, thus allowing a capacity value two to three times higher in respect to graphite. Herein, we report the use of different types of graphene-based electrodes in lithium-ion cell.

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[2] B. Scrosati, J. Garche, J. Power Sources 2010, 195, 2419.

[3] J. Hassoun, F. Bonaccorso, M. Agostini, M. Angelucci, M.G. Betti, R. Cingolani, M. Gemmi, C. Mariani, S. Panero, V. Pellegrini, B. Scrosati, Nano Letters 2014, 14, 4901.