Lithium-ion intercalation into carbons derived from pyrolysis of camphor

Abstract

Carbon electrodes prepared from the pyrolysis of camphor at 1000 degrees C in argon atmosphere have been found to facilitate Li-ion intercalation similar to that observed with carbons generally prepared at temperatures well above 2000 degrees C. An irreversible intercalation capacity of these carbon/lithium half cells during the initial discharge was measured to be 0.34, after which fully reversible Li-ion intercalation takes place right from the 1st to the 20th charge-discharge cycle, with a constant intercalation capacity of 0.61. Camphor-pyrolyzed carbon thus appears as a promising candidate for investigation as a lithium battery electrode material.