Post Oxygen Treatment Characteristics of Coke as an Anode Material for Li-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The effect of a oxygen treatment on the electrochemical characteristics of a soft carbon anode material for Li-ion batteries was investigated. After a coke carbonization process at 1000 degrees C in an argon atmosphere, the samples were treated under a flow of oxygen gas to obtain a mild oxidation effect. After this oxygen treatment, the coke samples exhibited an improved initial coulombic efficiency and cycle performance as compared to the carbonized sample. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that the carbonized cokes consisted of disordered and nanosized graphene layers and the surface of the modified carbon was significantly changed after the treatment. The chemical state of the cokes was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The enhanced electrochemical properties of the surface modified cokes could be attributed to the mild oxidation effect induced by the oxygen treatment. The mild oxidation process could have led to the elimination of surface imperfections and the reinforcement of a solid electrolyte interphase film, which resulted in the improved electrochemical characteristics.

Nanostructured Si-Based Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

“…Great continued academic and commercial interest in developing advanced electrode materials presented for lithium-ion batteries applications. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] At present, graphite materials are the commonly used anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. 16 These graphite materials have high electronic conductivity, low electrochemical potential with respect to lithium metal, and relatively low volume change upon the lithium intercalation when the battery is charged.…”