Review—Energy Storage through Graphite Intercalation Compounds

Abstract

Research and development with regards to battery technologies have been evolving at a profitably good rate with an impressive amount of progress being made at different levels. Graphite has been continuously preferred as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries since its commercialization in 1991. The interlayer spacing of about 3.35 Å promotes the intercalation of guest ions, thereby resulting in what is called graphite intercalation compounds (GICs). Through such intercalation mechanisms, graphite can contribute to electrochemical charge transfer owing to its ionic and electronic conduction properties. The intercalation of alkali metal ions into graphite is considered the epitome of ion intercalation with regards to layered materials. Putting together various inferences made through the years, this review aims at establishing a foundational understanding of GICs and their applications in energy storage devices. A brief overview of graphite intercalation chemistry has been provided and discussions on the advancements in various GICs ranging from binary-GICs to ternary-GICs have been elaborated. Towards the end, this paper provides a comprehension of the specific strategies that might improve the performance of a GIC, following which the challenges and the future of GIC-based research have also been highlighted.

Unveiling the Mystery of LiF within Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Lithium Batteries

“…Graphite, a common carbon material in nature, is extensively utilized as a negative electrode material in commercial Li‐ion batteries due to its excellent conductivity, high Li intercalation capacity (372 mA h g −1 ), and low Li intercalation potential. [ 56,57 ] Its unique layered structure is particularly well‐suited for the repeated insertion and removal of Li ions. Energy storage mechanism of graphite involves the embedding of Li ions between adjacent layers, forming the Li intercalation compound known as Li x C 6 (0<x<1).…”

Soft carbon in non-aqueous rechargeable batteries: a review of its synthesis, carbonization mechanism, characterization, and multifarious applications

“…25 Moreover, the redox property of graphite is amphoteric, whereby both cations and anions can intercalate to form graphite-intercalation compounds (GICs). 26 This is why graphite is useful as a cation-storing anode in LIBs and as an anion-storing cathode in dual-carbon batteries. Another important feature of graphite is its material density of >2 g cm −3 , which transitions into tap density >1 g cm −3 for graphite electrodes, which is higher than that for disordered carbons (≤0.7 g cm −3 ).…”

Operando Raman Spectroscopy Insights into the Electrochemical Formation of F-Graphite Intercalation Compounds

“…Various chemical species (e.g., anions, cations, and their solvated complexes) can be intercalated into graphite to form graphite intercalation compounds (GICs). − The reversible and electrochemical reactions for the formation of GICs have been utilized as electrode reactions for rechargeable batteries. One typical example in practical use is the electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation of Li + into/from graphite electrodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). − Dual-graphite batteries (DGBs) are also one of the cases in point using GIC formation reactions because they can be operated by the intercalation/deintercalation reactions of both cations and anions into/from the respective negative and positive electrodes during the charge/discharge processes.…”