Facile conversion of activated carbon to battery anode material using microwave graphitization

Abstract

As the most commonly used anode material, graphite is crucial to the battery industry and other energy storage applications. Natural graphite is classified as a supply risk material, and the artificial graphitization process is extremely inefficient, so an alternative method of making graphite for use as an anode material is highly desired. In this work, activated carbon powder is graphitized by microwave irradiation with catalyst precursor impregnation. Further, the characteristics of microwave-graphitized activated carbon powder as an anode material in lithium ion batteries are investigated. After 5 min of microwave irradiation, a graphite (002) peak develops at 26.46 degrees in the X-ray diffraction pattern (the corresponding d(002) was 3.3664 angstrom), and the I-G/I-D ratio in Raman spectra increases from 1.07 to 1.89. As an anode material, graphitized active carbon exhibits stable charge discharge processes typical of graphite (plateau around 0.2 V). These results indicate that microwave irradiation is an effective way to produce graphitic carbon from low-crystalline activated carbon for use as an anode material. We believe they pave the way to research toward a stable supply of anode material. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.