A New Strategy for Maximizing the Storage Capacity of Lithium in Carbon Materials

A novel strategy for maximizing the lithium storage capacity of carbon materials is reported. To redesign the interior structure, a large amount of Li, 4 wt%, is doped into the carbon during its synthesis. The Li-doped carbon is subsequently annealed, during which the diffusion of Li induces a disordered structure, thereby generating many nanocavities. The diffused Li atoms aggregate into a superdense state within the carbon structure; when the Li agglomerates escape from the carbon during the delithiation process, new void spaces are created at their location. Thus, the interior of carbon is evacuated to form a new structure capable of storing a large amount of Li, realizing a high reversible capacity during charging. At a rate of 1 C, the average reversible capacity of the material is three times higher than that of commercial graphite, with a stable cycling performance over 300 cycles. This is a remarkably improved Li storage performance for pure carbon, without the need for the silicon, tin, or transition metal oxide, that are becoming popular as next-generation materials. Therefore, this novel strategy can potentially aid in the design of high-performance materials via better carbon material design and combinations with other types of materials.