Carbon coating via an alkyl phosphonic acid grafting route: Application on TiO2

In the Li-ion battery the electronic conductivity is usually enhanced mixing carbon (black or graphite) with the active cathode material during the electrode preparation. The electronic conductivity is achieved in the system via the percolation of particles. From this point of view, an individual carbon coating of each active material particle is an interesting alternative to enhance conductivity. In this paper, we present a two steps original coating route based on anchoring phenyl phosphonic acid on the surface of anatase TiO2 and followed by thermal treatment under inert atmosphere. Conductivity tests and galvanostatic measurements at different C-rate have been performed to show the effectiveness of this carbon coating upon lithium insertion.