Copper-Coated Graphite Felt as Current Collector for Li-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) undoubtedly are considered a viable option to meet the ever-increasing demands for portable consumer electronic devices and electric vehicles. To meet this requirement, intensive research is being conducted on increasing the volumetric and gravimetric energy density of LIBs as well as developing high-capacity electrode materials for LIB. In this study, a novel copper-coated graphite felt as a current collector is proposed for use as a constituent of LIB. Different type of Cu-coated graphite felt electrodes were synthesized. They were characterized by X-ray Diffractometer (XRD). To test its electrochemical performance Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CVA) techniques were used. Materials with a specific capacity of up to 473 mAh∙g−1 were obtained. It was found that the nature of the capacity gain of carbon felt electrodes differs from that of graphite due to a different crystal structure. The use of a copper coating reduces the charge transfer resistance and increases the capacity of the material. Therefore, such new type of anode materials may be successfully used in LIBs.