Hydrothermally Deposited Carbon Coatings for Li-Ion Battery Active Materials

Abstract

Hydrothermally deposited carbon coatings were evaluated for Li-ion battery materials. The applied coatings were found to be highly uniform and porous, with a density of 1.89 g ml−1 and a surface area of 370 m2 g−1. In lithium cells, the hydrothermally deposited carbon was found to have a reversible capacity of 230 mAh g−1 when cycled between 7 mV and 0.9 V. Carbon coatings applied hydrothermally onto graphite particles were found to be effective at reducing surface reactions and increasing coulombic efficiency during cycling in lithium cells. However, because of the high surface area and high porosity of the hydrothermal coating it likely has limited applicability in commercial Li-ion cells.