In order to examine the controversial hypothesis put forward to explain the entropy step experimentally observed for the stage II to stage I transition for lithium intercalation in graphite, a transparent statistical mechanical model is developed. The results obtained show that the entropy increase can be explained by the change of configurational entropy occurring at occupation of half of the lattice. Comparison with experimental data shows that attractive interactions between intercalated particles in the same layer must be assumed, in agreement with the ansatz made in the original experimental work. 5,6 and graphite, 7,8 are commonly found in electrodes of commercially lithium-ion cells. In addition to the mentioned intercalation materials, there are many others that are currently being studied or used as electrodes in lithium-ion cells. In particular, graphite is the most common material found in anodes of commercial lithium-ion cells.One of the most important features of the intercalation materials is that they can have ions stored in them with little changes in their crystalline structures. This feature allows a fast ion insertion and extraction and therefore high power density cells can be obtained when used as electrodes. However, a fast ion insertion and extraction generates heat in the cell, which can produce high temperature excursions of the cell and a premature aging.It has been demonstrated that a great portion of the heat that is generated in the intercalation materials comes from the intercalation entropy during a discharge. [9][10][11] In this sense, different methods to measure the intercalation entropy have been developed. [12][13][14][15][16][17] In the case of Li-ion insertion into graphite, the experimental curve for entropy as a function of composition, Reference 12, shows a step in the transition of stage II to stage I that could not be explained in the terms presented there. In a subsequent work, 18 two of the previous authors, state that a possible mechanism of the stage I phase formation may involve a 'dilute lithium layer' (noted dil-Li) that would have an alternating 'normal' Li layer (Li) with a hexagonal structure and a dilute lithium layer following the sequence (Li)-G-(dil-Li)-G. However, in a more recent review, Fultz 19 stated that the vibrational entropy resulting from the insertion dominates the entropy, and also he added that there should be a small change in the configurational entropy when compounds are formed in stage I or II, as they are ordered.In a previous work 20 we have proposed a theoretical approach to determine the intercalation entropy, and we applied this approach to the graphite/lithium compound. In order to clarify the origin of this entropy, in the present work we have used a simplified two-level lattice gas model to analyze the configurational contribution to the intercalation entropy of the graphite/lithium compound. The main features of the intercalation entropy are elucidated. z E-mail: eze_leiva@yahoo.com.ar
Model and Statistical Mechanical Backgroun...